Info on Edison disc system, including disc composition

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/eddschst.html





                      Pbmorgan
                      <[log in to unmask]        To:       [log in to unmask]
                      COM>                     cc:       (bcc: Vergil Noble/MWAC/NPS)
                      Sent by:                 Subject:  Re: Conservation of Phonograph Records
                      HISTORICAL
                      ARCHAEOLOGY
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                      03/24/2005 11:34
                      AM PST
                      Please respond to
                      mblanchard





Hey Robert:
   As you probably know, the Edison Diamond records were produced between
1912 and 1929 and they were a unique system.  I looked around and couldn't
find any specific information on what the records were made of but you
might
do the standard tests for gutta percha, India rubber, vulcanite, and
bakelite
(I'm betting on Inda rubber but its just a hunch based on the date of
manufacture).  This would let you know what you are dealing with and you
could tailor your approach to the material.  As for long term preservation
I
would think that a gentle cleaning in water followed by controlled drying
process (hard here in Reno)would be the course to follow.  Just my
thoughts.


Morgan Blanchard
Department of Anthropology
University of Nevada, Reno

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---------- Original Message -----------
From: Robert Leavitt <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 08:03:09 -0800
Subject: Conservation of Phonograph Records

> Hi all:
>
> We've just recovered five Edison Diamond phonograph records from a
> site in Reno, Nevada. They're dirty, cracked, and wet. Anybody have
> an idea about stabilizing them until we can contact a
> conservationist? Right now they're in a bag in a refrigerator,
> trying to reproduce the conditions in which they were found.
>
> Robert C. Leavitt
------- End of Original Message -------