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Post by gramophoneshane on Aug 23, 2007 19:11:24 GMT -5
Is there any way of telling a 2 min from a 4 min blank? Most of my blanks are brown wax, except for 2, which all have 2 min recordings on them. Today I got my 3rd black wax blank, and found it was a 4 min recording- of a really good duet I might add!, but to look at the 3, they seem to be the same. All have a patent date of june 1907 on the rim, and all 3 came in the orange "blank" boxes.
So my question really is, did this new one just get a 4 min recording put on a 2 min blank, or was it common practice to use the black wax blanks for either 2 or 4 minute recordings. I've always thought a 4 min blank was a different formular to the others, and would perhaps have "4M recording blank" on the rim, or at least a different label on the box.
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Post by maroongem on Aug 24, 2007 0:50:26 GMT -5
Shane,
The few 4M blanks that I have owned were all brown wax.
I've never seen a black blank and you really can't shave the regular 2M cylinders as they are of a different compound than the recording ones. I think a blank is a blank, the cylinders are the same length, it is the gear ratio that determines the length of recording.
Bill
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Post by gramophoneshane on Aug 24, 2007 3:29:48 GMT -5
Oh..Ok. I was under the belief that there were 4 min blanks, due to Dan's reply #7 in the following thread. sonoraman.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1160174248Actually, I'd never heard of a 4 min recorder until this "School model" spotlight. They weren't listed in the 1910 catalogue, and I've never seen one listed on ebay. Were the 4 min recorders ever sold seperately, or just a novelty included in certain outfits like the school? I was really rather shocked when I put the cylinder on the mandrel, and got the faint sound from the model C skipping across the grooves. Played with a model H at the correct speed, it sounds almost as good as an amberol. I've got another one coming from the same collection next week, so it will be interesting to see if it too is a 4 min recording. Heres a pic of the cylinder- I had to use the flash, so I hope it's readable.  The other 2 of these were both 2 min, and very low volume. I've shaved one, but it doesn't record nearly as good as the brown cylinders. They are harder than the browns- I rubbed one against my tooth, and they are very similar to an amberol record. Is it posible that these black ones are infact 4 minute blanks? |
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ultona
Full Member
It's Not Easy Bein' Green
Posts: 164
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Post by ultona on Aug 24, 2007 7:19:06 GMT -5
I rubbed one against my tooth, and they are very similar to an amberol record. Shane, Shane.... How many times do we have to tell you cylinders are for playing, not eating! ;D ;D ;D Sean |
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Post by maroongem on Aug 24, 2007 10:13:02 GMT -5
Shane,
I would say that those are in fact recording blanks. As I said previously, I've never seen a black one (save dictaphone blanks), how cool. I would imagine they were as soft originally as the brown ones?
The one you picture looks rather like a cut down dictaphone blank by the ribbing inside.
Hmmmmmmmmmm........interesting!
Bill
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Post by gramophoneshane on Aug 26, 2007 18:39:46 GMT -5
Well, I received my latest recording blank today, and my question as to whether the 4 minute cylinder boxes were marked as so has been answered! They sure were!!! As you'll see below, they had a 4 min label on the lid. This is the first on I've ever seen. All my other blanks have Shaved Blank stamped on the lid, or are blank.  I also got another oddity today- or at least to me. I recieved a 4 min indestructable with 2 x 2min songs. There is a large blank space between the 2 songs, and the titles are listed as A & B. I'll have to go through my catalogue and see if there was many 2 song records produced. I've never seen one of these before either. I love this hobby! There's always something different popping up. |
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kirk
New Member
Posts: 6
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Post by kirk on Aug 26, 2007 20:27:11 GMT -5
Well----I have to say, I've never seen a 4-min with 2 2-min songs on it like that! I won't say I'm any cylinder expert, but over the years I've seen quite a few---never that. Well done! Also---this is the first 4-min blank lid I've seen.
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Post by maroongem on Aug 26, 2007 20:53:37 GMT -5
Well, I received my latest recording blank today, and my question as to whether the 4 minute cylinder boxes were marked as so has been answered! They sure were!!! As you'll see below, they had a 4 min label on the lid. This is the first on I've ever seen. All my other blanks have Shaved Blank stamped on the lid, or are blank. I also got another oddity today- or at least to me. I recieved a 4 min indestructable with 2 x 2min songs. There is a large blank space between the 2 songs, and the titles are listed as A & B. I'll have to go through my catalogue and see if there was many 2 song records produced. I've never seen one of these before either. I love this hobby! There's always something different popping up. Shane, I have 2 Indestructibles with 2 songs crammed on a 4M cylinder. One is "My Country Tis Of Thee/America" and I don't recall what the other was and will have to dig it up. I'm still trying to figure out what the difference would be between a 2M blank and a 4M. The lengths of the cylinders are the same, it is the cutting stylus and the gearing that differentiates the two. Was this a marketing ploy by Edison? Bill |
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Post by rocky on Aug 26, 2007 21:40:45 GMT -5
I have only one Blue Amberol with two songs separated by a moment of silence: BA 4158, "Hiawatha - Laughing Water" by Sodero's Band.
Rocky
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Post by gramophoneshane on Aug 27, 2007 10:16:26 GMT -5
I went through my indestructable catalogue today, and there are at least 12 listed with 2 songs on them, and they appear in both the American & British series.
Mine is no.3023, and is the first one like this, being one of the first 29 4min records they made for release, in Jan 1910- golden curls & ray of sunshine by Byron G Harlan.
Another oddity on this cylinder is that after the usual patent date, it has "(COP'R)" which I guess stands for copy right. I haven't seen this on any other indestructables before, so I wonder if it only appears the 2 tune cylinders.
As for the 4min blanks, the only reason I can think of for the different wax formular might be that the 4min playback stylus could have worn out the recording quicker on a softer wax cylinder?? As far as I can tell, the 4 min recorder was only made in the large size to fit the large carry arm, so I guess they would originally have been intended for playback with the larger sized 4 min reproducer, and the extra weight and small stylus might have been too much for 2min blanks.
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