Grooved or Incised Media

1. Grooved or Incised Media Signal recorded by mechanically cutting or incising the surface of the carrier Most common types: Cylinders and Platters Also includes dictabelts and piano rolls

2. Cylinders • Earliest Format for Recording and Playback of Sound • Edison tinfoil recording in 1877 • Dominated recording industry into 20th century

3. 3 Common Types of Cylinders • Brown Wax or Soft Wax (ca. 1889-1902) • Molded or Black Wax (ca. 1902-1923) • Celluloid (ca. 1900-1929)

4. Brown Wax or Soft Wax (ca. 1889-1902)

5. Brown Wax or Soft Wax(ca. 1889-1902) • Made to be recordable and re-recordable, therefore are unique • Earliest commercially available were originals • Later copies were commercially available, but in limited quantities • Usually have a waxy feel and smell • Usually are 4 1/8” long and 2 1/8” in outside diameter • Usually held 2 minutes of recording • Fragile, subject to breaking, warping and distortion of grooves in high temperatures

6. Molded or Black Wax (ca. 1902-1923)

7. Molded or Black Wax (ca. 1902-1923) • Copies for playback only • Hard compound was more durable and produced louder playback • Some waxy smell • Usually 4” long • Fragile, subject to breaking and distortion

8. Celluloid (ca. 1900-1929)

9. Celluloid (ca. 1900-1929) • Copies for playback only • Advertised as indestructible • Made of nitrocellulose on a hard core • Not the same as nitrate film, ignition point is higher • But, if ignited in a fire, they are almost impossible to extinguish • Fragile, subject to shrinking and cracking in cold temperatures

10. All Cylinders Are Fragile

11. All Cylinders Are Fragile • They are susceptible to: • Damage from previous playback or rough handling • Differential deterioration that results in breakage • Distortion from exposure to heat • Mold from exposure to water or high humidity • Insect or rodent damage in poor storage conditions

12. Handling • Wear nitrile gloves • Lift from containers by placing two fingers inside the cylinder, press gently to outside • Do not touch the grooved area • Minimize the amount of time fingers are in contact with the cylinder • Carry on a cardboard tube or dowel inserted through center and held with both hands

13. Proper Environment • Clean • Cool • Dry

14. Preferred Containers • Proper orientation: upright on one end • Original containers are almost always unsuitable (acidic) • Especially if lined with gauze • Rebox in container with a core that supports the cylindrical shape • Keep original box with the new one

15. Requires Immediate Attention • All valuable cylinders should be copied before storage • Carriers are fragile • Playback equipment is increasingly difficult to locate • Cylinders with differing materials in the cores and recording surfaces are at most risk

16. Platters • Early form for recording sound • Earliest version announced by Emile Berliner in 1887 (10 years after cylinders) • Eventually platters supplanted cylinders for popular use

17. 2 Primary Types • Instantaneous Discs (ca. late 1920s-early 1960s) • Commercially Issued Platters (ca. late 1900s-to date)

18. Instantaneous Discs(ca. late 1920s-early 1960s) • Aka, aluminum discs, lacquers, acetates, direct-cut discs, etc. • Recordable, therefore unique • Laminated, metal or glass core covered with a material soft enough to incise, but hard enough to withstand replay several times • Usually are 78s • May play from inside to outer edge • May have handwritten or partially handwritten labels

19. Aluminum Discs(ca. late 1920s-early 1940s)

20. Aluminum Discs(ca. late 1920s-early 1940s) • Silver colored • Usually 12” in diameter • May have damage from previous playback or rough handling • May suffer from oxidation that can damage grooves • Fragile, but generally chemically stable

21. Lacquer Discs, mistakenly called Acetates (1934-early 1960s)

22. Lacquer Discs, mistakenly called Acetates (1934-early 1960s) • Usually black nitrocellulose coating on aluminum, glass, or cardboard core • Usually 10”, 12”, 13”, and 16” in diameter • May have damage from previous playback or rough handling • Glass cores are very vulnerable to breakage • Cardboard cores are vulnerable to water damage • Coating is vulnerable to plasticizer exudation and delamination • Very fragile, chemically unstable

23. All Instantaneous Discs are Fragile

24. Commercially Issued Platters(ca. late 1900s-to date) • Earliest recordings were single-sided • Later recordings were two-sided (ca. 1907-to date) • Usually have a pre-printed label

25. Commercially Issued Platters(ca. late 1900s-to date)

26. Commercially Issued 78s(ca. late 1900s-late 1950s)

27. Commercially Issued 78s(ca. late 1900s-late 1950s) • Usually made of “shellac” • “Shellac” described a number of compounds: shellac, resins, gums, etc. • Usually 10” or 12” in diameter • Platters can become brittle with age • Susceptible to mold from exposure to water or high humidity • Durable, if housed and stored properly

28. Commercially Issued LPs (33 1/3 rpm) and 45s (ca. 1948-almost to date)

29. Commercially Issued LPs (33 1/3 rpm) and 45s (ca. 1948-almost to date) • LPs usually made of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride) • Usually 10” or 12” diameter • 45s usually made of vinyl or polystyrene • Usually 7” in diameter • Susceptible to scratching • Susceptible to warping from exposure to heat • Durable, if housed and stored properly

30. Handling • Wear nitrile gloves • Grasp cover or container by bottom and top to remove from shelf • Support container from underneath • Flex sleeve gently to slide platter out of or into sleeve • Do not touch playing surface • Support platter with fingers underneath the center and thumb on edge • Carry on a piece of cardboard that is larger than the platter

31. Proper Environment • Clean • Cool • Dry • Dark

32. Preferred Containers • Proper orientation: upright on the edge • Always remove shrink wrap • Original paper sleeves and covers are almost always unsuitable (acidic) • Resleeve in polyethylene or sturdy buffered alkaline paper

33. Preferred Containers • Box in sturdy phonograph boxes • Do not overpack • Keep original covers and sleeves (if they have information) with the platter • Make sure accompanying materials are flat and free of staples, etc.

34. Shelving • If boxing is not possible, resleeve and place on shelves in album covers • Opening of new sleeve should be perpendicular to opening of album cover • Use full-size dividers 4”-6” apart for support • Do not shelve too tightly • Do not allow platters to lean • Do not lay platters flat

35. Requires Immediate Attention • All valuable instantaneous discs should be copied before storage • Carriers are very fragile • Playback equipment, especially appropriate styli, is increasingly difficult to locate • Lacquer discs are slightly more fragile than aluminum discs

36. Please Contact Us Weissman Preservation Center 617-495-8596 http://preserve.harvard.edu Jane Hedberg jane_hedberg@harvard.edu Elizabeth Walters elizabeth_walters@harvard.edu Liz Coffey coffey@fas.harvard.edu