Vinylite is a different compound from vinyl. It's thicker, sturdier and I
think it was proprietary to RCA. You can still crack them though;
they are not "unbreakable" in the way 1950s records tend to be. And also I
don't think as a surface that it delivers the goods as well as
conventional vinyl, but it does sound better than the very early vinyl
children's records issued by Caravan and others in the late 1930s.
Just my opinion.

Uncle Dave Lewis
Lebanon, OH

On Wed, Aug 1, 2012 at 10:20 AM, Steve Greene <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> John,
> I've seen similar discs and assumed they were shellac.  I'd be interested
> to know definitively if this is the case.
>
>
>
>
>
> Steve Greene
> Archivist
> Office of Presidential Libraries
> National Archives and Records Administration
> (301) 837-1772
> >>> John Dawson <[log in to unmask]> 8/1/2012 9:34 AM >>>
> Hello everyone,
>
>          I am dealing with some press molded discs from 1947. They are
> 16", and appear to be made of vinyl. They are clearly pressings, not direct
> cuts.  They are flexible and smell like vinyl. They appear to be the same
> material throughout.  I was seeking some clarification as to whether or not
> these would be considered electrical transcriptions or not.  Also wondering
> if there is another material besides vinyl these could be made from.  They
> are in a collection that contains numerous radio programs, mostly on
> laquers. This appears to correspond with a slide show or film strip (you
> can hear the familiar bell that seems to correspond with scene changes).
>  The audio is on one side, and the other side contains elaborate pressings
> of an RCA/Victor logo.  The labels say "Produced by Vocafilm corporation".
>
> Thanks!
>
> John Dawson
> Media Preservation Initiative
> Indiana University
>