[78-L] Record collecting

[Don Cox]

On 30/12/2012, Mike Harkin wrote:

> 
> 
> --- On Sun, 12/30/12, Kristjan Saag <saag at telia.com> wrote:
> 
> From: Kristjan Saag <saag at telia.com>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Record collecting
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Date: Sunday, December 30, 2012, 9:38 AM
> 
> The Roman Musician's Union knew all about that, but managed to keep it
> secret for another two thousand years. Caesar Petrillus (A.D. 42):
> "Wax is doing a job against us". Kristjan
> 
> 
> On 2012-12-30 10:28, Don Cox wrote:
>> It is surprising that acoustic recording was not invented much
>> earlier. The Romans or Greeks could have recorded through a horn onto
>> a wax disc, and used lost-wax casting to make a replica in bronze.
>> The tricky bit, for them, would be getting a constant speed. A
>> falling-weight drive, with the weight falling through oil or honey,
>> might work.
> 
> They certainly had the technology and the engineering skill, if only
> some Cleverus Diccus had got the bright idea to put it all together as
> you do. only problems I see would be standardising the weight of the
> rocks for rec and playback, and the size the thing would have to be.
> Would you want - could you even fit - one in your living room?
> 
I think the falling weight would be lead. 

The playback machine wouldn't be much larger than a 20C acoustic disc
player. Maybe not larger at all. 

Winding the weight back up again is a pain, but so is winding up a
spring.

BTW did you see that somebody has made a record with a 3D printer ?

Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox at enterprise.net