Diamond Discs tend to peel a lot.Most of us who have done any digging at flea markets, thrift stores,antique stores,have seen DDs that have been mishandled enough to show the cores.
Don't forget that the really cheap vinyl pressings of the 50s,are porous,and crack.This includes the obvious ones like Record Corporation of America,but also American Decca Lps of about 1955-60.Some are more fragile than early 78s.
Roger
--- On Thu, 11/19/09, Tracy Popp <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Tracy Popp <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Quick ID - shellac, instantaneous, vinyl
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009, 1:00 PM
Ah, very interesting about the Diamond Discs... Having just recently handled
one myself I thought they were just a very thick shellac. Good to know about
the wooden core! I'm assuming these discs are then subject to the same types
of preservation concerns as other laminates - swelling/contraction of the
core, laminate peeling, etc.?
Tracy
On Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 12:52 PM, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> Interesting observation about the "sound" a record makes when being
> handled.
>
> Not all instantaneous records are heavy. If they are paper substrate, they
> will be much lighter. Glass and alum., heavier.
>
> Getting into some esoterica here...Columbia 78s from a certain period are
> laminated, perhaps not quite so heavy as a solid shellac. I have nevered
> weighed either. Edison Diamond Discs are laminate over wood core and VERY
> heavy (and thick), These are all commercially released records, not
> instantaneous.
>
> joe salerno
>
>
>
> Shai Drori wrote:
>
>> I never thought of this. It's sort of automatic to me and I guess to
>> everyone else. The look and feel totally different, that I never spent a
>> second thinking about it. Vinyl is light flexible has a certain shine to it
>> and almost no sound when you handle it. Shellac has this sound to it when
>> you handle it that sounds brittle, sort of like a "don't @#$^ with me". And
>> instantaneous are very heavy compared to the others of the same size. Of
>> course there are exceptions to the rule but over time you sort of just know.
>> The last time I was puzzled by a record that felt "wrong" was a few years
>> back when I got a shipment of glass records. During the War aluminum was
>> gone to the army and different substances were used for the base, glass
>> among them. Never been more scared than handling those records and that
>> includes nitrate stuff. The up side was that they were ruler flat and played
>> on the emt like a dream, great sound.
>> m2c
>> shai
>>
>> Tracy Popp wrote:
>>
>>> Hello All,
>>>
>>> I have a question on visual identification of, and differentiation among
>>> shellac, instantaneous and vinyl grooved disks. Are there quick visual
>>> and
>>> non-destructive methods of determining the type of disk?
>>>
>>> I am aware that most instantaneous have three "spindle" holes in the
>>> center,
>>> and one can generally determine that a disk is an instantaneous based on
>>> the
>>> core material (if one can see the core material.) Any other suggested
>>> methods of quick ID and differentiation - barring cracking the edge of
>>> the
>>> disk to see the material composition? Is gently tapping the disk surface,
>>> and listening for aural cues about material density an useful practice?
>>>
>>> Thanks for your assistance!
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Tracy Popp
>>> UIUC Graduate Student MLS
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
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