cooling, congealed into thick molten wax into which metal forms
were dipped make cylinders. The first commercial solution was based stearic acid and its
salt, sodium stearate, common fatty acid used the manufacture soap and
candles.
Experiments making duplicate recordings were very important part Edison’s
phonograph business. The partition and brick walls facing the balance
room had large glass door cabinets placed front them, and the shelves inside
held chemicals and glassware..344 (Also see sections Franz Schulze-Berge, Theo E. The
wax was also sensitive heat: high temperatures caused softening and low
temperatures made the cylinder brittle and liable crack.342
342 Aylsworth’s lab notes Notebook N-88-08-23.
The smallest crack bubble the wax compound-small enough invisible to
the eye-caused crackle that could distinctly heard the record played.
344 Notebook N-91-11-24.
343 TAE S.. The mixture was heated about 480°F and then filtered through fine
muslin. An
additional partition was built from the west wall the building the wall this
brick room, cutting off the balance room and the space front from the main
room (see schematic plan 4).Experiments the composition the wax cylinder for the Edison phonograph
began soon the West Orange laboratory opened and continued into the
twentieth century.)
Building Period II: 1901-1914
A 1904 photograph (figure 17) taken from the door the balance room shows a
brick room, probably erected 1890 earlier, about feet long built along the
east wall the chemical laboratory. The north and south walls the room
extended from partition built down the middle aisle the east wall. early 1888 Edison had begun experimental project
to duplicate recordings making molds cylinders, and soon stated that his
business plan for this new product was based mass producing prerecorded
cylinders: "What want the manufacturing duplicates.
Wangemann, and Albert Wurth. Entrance this rear room could only have been
100
."343 An
experimental notebook kept Albert and Charles Wurth reveals that much the
development work for this project was carried out the second and third floors of
Building 5.B.. Eaton, December 11, 1890, Letterbook 46, (LB046097). Much the work on
the wax cylinder was therefore directed testing wax compounds under different
conditions
