[78-L] Wax! redux

David Lennick dlennick at sympatico.ca
Fri Nov 27 19:24:27 PST 2009


We were just watching "Funny Lady" for the first time in a few years (and I 
stayed awake, which was an accomplishment..I forgot how lousy that thing got 
for the second half, plus all those awful Kander-Ebb songs). The recording 
session where they cut on a center start lacquer, in 1930, comes right near the 
beginning. What I had never noticed before was the development of an amazing 
new technology..a sound medium that produces audio with no motion whatsoever. A 
phonograph is clearly visible, and "Fanny Brice" is heard coming from it, but 
the disc doesn't revolve. Amazing.

dl

Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
> Yeah, yeah... I know... wax blank, not wax master.
> Mal
> 
> *******
> 
> Malcolm Rockwell wrote:
>> This clip seems to show both how laminated records were made as well as 
>> normal "biscuit pressing". One sequence shows a technician rolling out 
>> the base dough and then coating it with a schlop of lacquer, but no 
>> further pressing. Slightly later you can see a cube like biscuit being 
>> centered in a press to be squooshed into a record.
>>  I loved the part where a gent is doing the final smoothing of a wax 
>> master while wearing a suit! You never, NEVER wear a tie around spinning 
>> machinery unless you have a death wish.
>> I would have liked to see more of the film this was clipped from.
>> Mal
>>
>> *******
>>
>> Kristjan Saag wrote:
>>   
>>> A newsreel from 1949 about production of shellac records in Germany.
>>> http://www.teledb.com/4/wdsMb1pwJEw/0/0/-herstellung-einer-schellackplatte.html
>>> Made from wax masters. I've heard of late use of wax masters in Britain and 
>>> Sweden as well. Was there any particular reason to continue with wax almost 
>>> 20 years after the introduction of acetates?
>>> Kristjan 



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