Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

This is where record cutters raise questions about cutting, and trade wisdom and experiment results. We love Scully, Neumann, Presto, & Rek-O-Kut lathes and Wilcox-Gay Recordios (among others). We are excited by the various modern pro and semi-pro systems, too, in production and development. We use strange, extinct disc-based dictation machines. And other stuff, too.

Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn

Post Reply
User avatar
diamone
Posts: 213
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:51 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47146Unread post diamone
Mon Jun 19, 2017 1:11 pm

As you all know, my father passed away at 77 three years ago next month after his nearly 40-year battle with Crohn's and Colitis.

He owned a cottage up at the lake around three hours drive from the house - and between me being out here and my sister's recuperating from her car wreck (not serious just needs repeated chiropractic care) and my brother and B-I-L crazy truck driving schedules at their jobs - nobody's been able to go up and clean it out til this past weekend.

Among the expected huge pile of flotsam and jetsam jammed shoulder-high in the loft - we found an old steamer trunk of stuff my Great Uncle Earl sent back from Korea - including about 20 white-fiber (and a couple acetate) home records.

Acetates played fine and were interesting - but the fiber ones all played crooked. For those of you who don't know - it's very tough to see the grooves on a white fiber home recording disc. I got the bright idea of taking it off the player and using the drive hole as the center hole to see what I'd get.

Although it was at least centered now - it didn't do much for the reproduction. Apparently wherever they were stationed had a Home Recording booth somewhere in a bar off base that he and his buddies would frequent anytime they got a pass.

Almost all were dated - and you could almost tell by listening how far into the night each record had been made - because the guys got louder and more off key and out-of-tempo between lines etc.

We laughed so hard that by Saturday night the boys and I decided to sing some of the same early-20th-century music hall songs that were on the records after we had presumably consumed close to the same amount of alcohol in our systems as our Uncle Earl and his buddies over 60 years ago.

My cousin Charlie got the bright idea of making our own records on the blank sides and discs of the ones that were there - so now when somebody discovers all this stuff in my SISTER'S loft when SHE passes in 50 years or whatever - a whole new generation can get a laugh out of TWO different generations of drunken guys that can't sing nevermind one.
2 Kinds of Men/Records: Low Noise & Wide Range. LN is mod. fidelity, cheap, & easy. WR is High Fidelity & Abrasive to its' Environment. Remember that when you encounter a Grumpy Engineer. (:-D)

User avatar
piaptk
Posts: 1713
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:40 am
Location: Tucson, AZ
Contact:

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47147Unread post piaptk
Mon Jun 19, 2017 2:20 pm

I've never seen a white fiber home recording disc. Can you post photos?
I Buy/Sell/Restore Vintage Machines/Parts and Provide Phone/In Person Tech Support
www.MichaelDixonVinylArt.com
www.LatheCutCamp.com
www.RecordLatheParts.com
www.MobileVinylRecorders.com
www.LatheCuts.com

User avatar
audiosteam
Posts: 104
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 6:18 pm
Location: Brno, CZ

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47149Unread post audiosteam
Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:26 pm

Cool story! thanks for sharing and great idea to perpetrate the recordings.

User avatar
diamone
Posts: 213
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:51 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47152Unread post diamone
Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:56 pm

piaptk wrote:I've never seen a white fiber home recording disc.
Can you post photos?
Videos with content will have to do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RUqHfGuwWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErvXmAtw0M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4eiECif4ss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC9NuAqz-to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2qdRM994vM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqbgMR_3w1s


``She-ooot. Tom moth hank bud a war rum gwan said oaf te-oo wah jis but bid dar.''
(By the time I think about where I'm going to set off to, I'll just about be there'')
Sounds like everybody's Mountain Granddad I grew up around.
I think I know where sitcom writers get their dialogue at anymore.
2 Kinds of Men/Records: Low Noise & Wide Range. LN is mod. fidelity, cheap, & easy. WR is High Fidelity & Abrasive to its' Environment. Remember that when you encounter a Grumpy Engineer. (:-D)

User avatar
piaptk
Posts: 1713
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:40 am
Location: Tucson, AZ
Contact:

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47159Unread post piaptk
Tue Jun 20, 2017 11:09 pm

Oh! Ok, I only knew those as cardboard based blanks. Fiber makes sense. I've rarely come across one of those that still played... in shocked how good that sounds.
I Buy/Sell/Restore Vintage Machines/Parts and Provide Phone/In Person Tech Support
www.MichaelDixonVinylArt.com
www.LatheCutCamp.com
www.RecordLatheParts.com
www.MobileVinylRecorders.com
www.LatheCuts.com

User avatar
tragwag
Posts: 1259
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:30 pm
Location: Providence, RI USA
Contact:

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47184Unread post tragwag
Thu Jun 22, 2017 2:22 pm

WOW this is amazing, really happy that you have this sort of momento. and I love the idea of making more to find later!
making lathe cuts on a Presto 6N, HIFI stereo cuts on vinylrecorder
at Audio Geography Studios, Providence, RI USA
http://www.audiogeography.com

User avatar
diamone
Posts: 213
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:51 pm
Location: Silicon Valley

Re: Homemade Fiber Records by my Grampa from my Dad's Loft

Post: # 47188Unread post diamone
Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:10 pm

tragwag wrote:WOW this is amazing, really happy that you have this sort of momento.
Don't forget the segundos and horarios.
2 Kinds of Men/Records: Low Noise & Wide Range. LN is mod. fidelity, cheap, & easy. WR is High Fidelity & Abrasive to its' Environment. Remember that when you encounter a Grumpy Engineer. (:-D)

Post Reply