Table Record/Battery Experiments. Legal
difficulties prevented Edison from using celluloid and forced him find a
substitute. mixed shellac and
tetrachlomapthalene with numerous solvents and kept record the results.
625 Notebook N-ll-00-00.626
Laverty’s co-worker this table, Paul Christiansen, produced lithium which was
used batteries.
4522 Notebook N-09-04-20. Paul Laverty worked both condensite for phonograph records and
on the nickel flake used the Edison storage battery. Both were
inferior when compared celluloid and phenol resins.625
One interesting experiment described Laverty was based Edison’s need to
know about the sludge left the bottom the electroplating baths make nickel
flake.627 tested his lithium titration, method determining
a constituent mixture volumetric analysis), using the burettes seen in
211
.
Historian’s Note 68.
623 Notebook N-09-04-20 "Solvents" April 20, 1909.624
Laverty was also involved experiments phenol-based record materials.3.621
621 Historian’s Notes 68, 90, and contain recollections Paul Laverty.
The wax and shellac materials used cylinders were early attempts find a
recording medium which was easy mold and difficult break. One his options was shellac, and experimented make soft
enough mould into records and then hard enough preserve the spiral groove
of sound waves, "of such hardness and toughness that approaches celluloid.1.
624 Notebook N-10-07-29. asked Laverty find out why this residue did not plate. know lot about the work this
table because the experimenter who worked here from 1909 1910 left several
letters about his activities.623 Laverty had the
task testing various solvents used alter shellac. This table has two unrelated experimental tasks
occurring the same time and the same table—relatively common Edison’s
laboratory.
627 Laverty correspondence Historian’s Note 90."622
In 1909, Edison began experimental notebook devoted recording experiments
on solvents used dissolve shellac and like substances. They mark the first efforts
to find materials for records, which dated from the late nineteenth century. His
laboratory notebook records the mixing chemicals and his letters indicate that
he worked condensite. The idea was to
crystallize the solution provide hard recording surface
