First Test of My DIY Record Press

[subkontrabob]

Hey Mark
On another thing
From what I have seen the wax blocks are quite thick like 3-4 inches May be it was a requirement It would be hard to picture a Presto cutting such a thick block or any modern lathe that was ante wax

There are a few Neumann AM31's that have been converted from wax to lacquer.
They used to have lower platters because of that, which were later upgraded with another piece mounted/welded on top with suction holes etc.

The one I have worked on is like that. There is also a photo somewhere on the internet of a hot-rodded AM31 that was "pimped" the same way to cut DMM

I did post a link here to a wax cutting video clip where the casting and machining as well as the cutting process of a wax master is quite clear
May be a serach would bring it up It was in German if I remember
Cheers

you mean this one:
https://lathetrolls.com/viewtopic.php?t=1617&mforum=lathetrolls

[blacknwhite]

Do you have any links or other info on the wax formulation typically used?

Mark

Yes, same question - found a "modeling wax formulations" page but no idea what I'm doing really; first test, didn't dry it slow enough, & used plain paraffin; uneven surface... LAter, read about different modeling wax recipies to supposedly help with that, but still, "shooting in the dark", so, lost interest for the time being...

Per the above-linked German video, they were cutting MAGNETIC TAPES to high-fidelity 78 rpm inch-thick blanks; showed them initially machine-buffing the blank surface to a perfect mirror shine; haven't tried buffing out the surface yet either; not sure if they polished wax blanks in America or not.

I have a printed 1947 Popular Science (I think?) article, basically showing the same 78-rpm-making process as the RCA Victor vid; it didn't show them buffing the wax-coated 78rpm blanks... Don't believe it gave any hints about the wax compound (naturally - trade secret), but will check again, and if it does, will post...

Thx

- Bob

[mossboss]

Thats it Bob Thanks Cheers

[blacknwhite]

Sorry, guys, no wax formula in that article - in fact, now I remember how little info it had.... actually I think the video has more info... but since I already dug it up, thought I'd post it anyhow for "general historic interest"...

- Bob

[Angus McCarthy]

I would imagine, based on articles I've read concerning new wax blanks for Edison phonographs, that there would be a good amount of stearic acid in with the wax blanks as a hardening agent.

This article discusses various wax formulas during the cylinder era.

This YouTube series goes through the process of mixing wax for blank cylinders.

[markrob]

I would imagine, based on articles I've read concerning new wax blanks for Edison phonographs, that there would be a good amount of stearic acid in with the wax blanks as a hardening agent.

This article discusses various wax formulas during the cylinder era.

This YouTube series goes through the process of mixing wax for blank cylinders.

Hi,

Thanks for the links. Very interesting! I found the original Charles Tainter US patent that describes using Ozocreite (which is a form of paraffin). See US 421450 for details.

I decided to do some experiments and picked up some waxes from here:

http://www.sculpt.com/catalog_98/Wax/WaxIndex.htm

They specialize in sculpting supplies and have a large variety of waxes.

I spoke with a tech support person there and she suggested the dark red casting wax as something to start with. I also got light red casting wax and some paraffin to play with. I'll let you know if I get anywhere.

Mark

[Self-lather]

I check this thread everyday for progress on this. I really want to try something similar.

-Thomas

[JayDC]

mark, did you ever playback your disc? Did you find good wax? Where you at on this one?

[W.B.]

I'll have to do some more research on this topic. I've always liked the short film "Command Performance". It shows the process at RCA in Camden NJ in the 1940's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnkndGHVm4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS6mUy8YXBI

Compare and contrast this with the 1956 short film "The Sound and the Story," which documents how LP records were made, cut and pressed at RCA Victor. Note the rack-mounted RCA RT-11 audio tape machine in the mastering room - and what looks like two post-1950 Scullys (with automatic pitch/depth control) in that suite:

(Part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTfNMgrcnZU

(Part 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DdbdLDL7sU

[Sam W.]

Hey there, I'm new to this forum but its packed with excellent info that I am so grateful for. I'm especially interested in this project. I'd like to try it but before I machine any parts for it I would like to have the stampers in hand. Trouble is I can find used stampers anywhere, any body have any suggestions? I'd like to try test runs before I spend the money to have any stampers made.

[recordboy]

VERY Cool!!! Always so impressive...

[rsimms3]

So, what happened with the Microfusion experiments a few folks were working on? Looks like Mark stopped work in 2011 and Self-Lather stopped in 2012. Anyone else try this out? What path did you take? I ask because I ran across this process again recently after an April Fools joke from Gotta Groove records offering a kit to make your own records in a microwave. Essentially the Cook process but using a microwave to heat the plastic with "stampers" and plastic provided by Gotta Groove.

I was thinking about this process and reviewing what others had undertaken which peaked my curiosity. I haven't looked at our George Foreman grill the same since.....

[Ganzha]

Absolutely Amazing!!!!

[Self-lather]

I had some semi-successfully results with it. I drew up some more ambitious plans, but haven't gotten back to it yet. I'm still at it though, I'm doing some experimenting with vacuum chambers and silicon molds this weekend.

[monoplex]

Keep this thread alive. Ive got a pestle and mortar going 24/7 grindin up old Lps into powder. Where my dreamers at?

[d]

yep. Should be nice to continue on this thread.

monoplex, your dreams are in the correct path

[markrob]

Hi,

The photo's of my DIY press are no longer in this thread as they were linked to an long gone personal web page I had back in the day. Now that the forum can host the photos directly, I'll add them back here. See the original post for details.

Here is the top of the book

Book_sm.JPG

A view of the press

Press with Platens_sm.JPG

The stamper with the ground plastic

Book_Loaded_sm.JPG

Heating element on platen

Platen Rear_sm.JPG

Pressing in process

Pressing_sm.JPG

Raw result from press

Raw_From_Press_sm.JPG

Trimmer jig loaded

Trimmer_Loaded_sm.JPG

Using a router to trim

Trimmed_sm.JPG

Finished result

Finished_sm.JPG

[d]

Mark!
Thanks for reupload. looking nice.
The link to the music also missing. do you still have the file?

[jjwharris]

Thanks for re-uploading those photos Mark,

How long does this pressing process take from start to finish?

And I'd also love to hear an audio sample!

[markrob]

Hi,

Its been quite awhile since I played with the press, but the dwell time was just a minute or so IIRC the one and only time I tried the Cook process with my two stampers. The result is what you see in the photos. The B side did not completely fill, but was partially playable. Probably needed more time in the press. I don't have the files of the capture at the time the pressing was done, but I do still have the pressed disc and I have re-captured in its current state and posted below. I was able to track down the two cuts via the stamper markings on Discogs. The side shown in the photo was a "After Awhile" by The Soul Satisfiers (1956) on Apollo 303-45 (Master C-2589). Haven't found much on them (they appear to be from my home town of Philly). The B Side is "Baptize Me In Wine" by Screaming Jay Hawkins (1958) on Apollo 528-45 (Master AP-3801). The quality is not great, but it demonstrates proof of concept. I don't know the condition of the stampers as they were flea market finds. But I suspect that most of the ticks and pops are due to fill issues.

Soul Satisfiers - After Awhile (1956) Apollo 303-45 (C-2589) Pressed Record.mp3

Scremin Jay Hawkins - Baptize Me In Wine (1958) Apollo 528-45 (AP-3801) Pressed Record.mp3