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ARSCLIST  May 2009

ARSCLIST May 2009

Subject:

Re: wire recordings - archival storage

From:

Steven Smolian <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 5 May 2009 20:42:06 -0400

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (108 lines)

I wasn't aware of the dissertaion.  Can you supply a more complete 
reference?

Steve Smolian

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott D. Smith" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] wire recordings - archival storage


> Angie:
>
> The discussion of various wire piqued my curiosity, so I did a little 
> digging. I didn't find the exact reference I was looking for, but found a 
> couple of similar citations. I think most of this research was done by 
> Brush Magnetics and Marvin Camras at Armour Research, with similar 
> research done by the Geramns.
>
> The best reference I found was from "The Recording and Reproduction of 
> Sound" (Oliver Read-Author; Howard Sams-Publisher; ©1952). In the section 
> on wire recording, there is a reference to the use of medium carbon steel 
> wire, which was produced from medium carbon steel rod. I think this was 
> probably what some of the early Pierce wire stock was. There is also 
> reference from a Fidelitone source which outlines differences between 
> /"Regular Stainless Steel Wire"/ and /"Stainless Steel Recording Wire"/. 
> It essentially outlines the fact that the Stainless Steel Recording Wire 
> undergoes some specific QC and other treatments during manufacture. There 
> was quite a bit of research that went into this at the time, and I haven't 
> had a chance to look up all the references. I do recall that there tended 
> to be a high rejection rate of the stainless steel rod used to produce the 
> wire, and that it had to fall within specific limits on the B & H curve.
>
> In the excellent book titled "Elements of Sound Recording" by John Frayne 
> and Halley Wolfe (John Wiley & Sons, ©1949), there are references in a 
> response chart from Brush Development to /"Carbon Steel Wire", "420 
> Stainless Steel Wire", "Brush Wire Type BK-913",/ and /"Coated Paper 
> Tape"/. (If you're curious, the paper tape beats them all!).
>
> As I recall, the reference that I had previously seen wire stock referred 
> to as "Type 1" and "Type 2" wire. Wish I could find the damn thing...
>
> I think the part of oxidation problem is as a result of the pot metal that 
> was used for making the wire spools, which in the case of Webster-Chicago, 
> I believe are anodized aluminum, although I have frankly never researched 
> it. I have seen problems in the past with various anodizing, where either 
> the metal was contaminated, or the anodizing was not done quite properly, 
> resulting a sort of white powder substance. I'm not a chemist, so I will 
> leave it to someone else to speculate on exactly what the nature of this 
> might be.
>
> Your comments on print-through are interesting. It certainly would seem 
> that wire would be prone to this-strange that it doesn't appear more often 
> (on the other hand, the 40 db S/N ratio might have something to do with 
> this!)
>
> One of these days, in my spare time (yeah, right), I'm going to go down to 
> the IIT archives and take a look at the Armour papers relating to the 
> research on wire recording, although David Morton has already covered much 
> of this in his dissertation on Webster-Chicago.
>
> (BTW-the Webster-Chicago plant still stands at 5610 W. Bloomingdale in 
> Chicago. I took some exterior photos a few years ago, and hope to make a 
> tour of it sometime).
>
> Scott D. Smith
> Chicago Audio Works, Inc.
>
>
> Angie Dickinson Mickle wrote:
>> Scott D. Smith wrote:
>>> I always thought all the wire made by W-C was stainless as well, but 
>>> apparently there were at least couple of different grades (which I've 
>>> seen reference to in some literature from the 1940s. Would have to dig 
>>> for the source).
>>
>> I would be very interested in your reference to this when you get a 
>> chance.
>>
>>> I have seen some wire which has exhibited a crystalline type of 
>>> oxidation (usually easily cleaned).
>>
>> I've seen this also.  To me oxidation is rust, but this is definitely 
>> some environmental reaction.  It does not seem to effect the recording or 
>> the integrity of the wire in the least.  And I find it more often on the 
>> metal spool itself than the actual wire.
>>
>>> I've never really experienced any issues with print-through on wires.
>>
>> I hadn't either until very recently.  A very loud volume passage on a 
>> wire definitely could be heard seconds later.  It could be argued that 
>> that low level garbling that is frequently heard on wire could be 
>> print-through.  On the other hand, it could be incomplete erasure of 
>> previous recordings.  I could never tell.  Weighing tails out storage to 
>> future playback equipment compatibility, I'd continue storing heads out 
>> with a proper, even wind.  Because, here's my question.  After being 
>> stored heads out for 50 or 60 years, how much worse can any print-through 
>> get?
>>
>> Angie Dickinson Mickle
>> Avocado Productions
>> Broomfield, CO
>> www.avocadoproductions.com
>> 800-246-3811
>>
> 

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