A Note to Caretakers of Early Sound Recordings
 If you own or are caretaker of a collection of brown wax cylinder recordings, and
You wish to obtain an archive of your cylinder recordings in digital form.
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Tinfoil.com offers a free service to owners and institutions holding
early brown wax sound recordings to digitally transfer and catalog their recordings.
Here is the way it works:
The cylinder records may be either shipped to me
(see packing guidelines below) or,
for larger collections, I can work on-site.
The records are carefully cataloged and recordings digitally transferred.
Along with your records returned, you receive a digital archive on compact disc(s)
of your recordings, plus detailed cataloging notes.
I ask that you pay the shipping and insurance costs in sending the
records to me; I pay the return shipping and insurance.
Tinfoil.com archives copies of the digital cylinder transfers.
In addition, some of the recordings may appear in future Tinfoil.com publications
(with appropriate acknowledgements, unless you wish to be anonymous) which
helps support the ongoing preservation work of Tinfoil.com.
Brief background:
I am an early sound recordings preservationist – not a record collector –
trained in Computer Science, and living
in Portland, Oregon.
I have worked with institutions and collectors for many years to preserve,
study, catalog, and publish the earliest sound recordings –
generally brown wax cylinders from 1888 through the early 1900's.
Unlike celluloid cylinders such as Edison's Blue Amberols (which will probably outlive us all),
time is not kind to wax cylinders, particularly brown wax cylinders.
Brief description of the transfer process:
My specialized process utilizes a very light contact transfer approach –
click here for a tour of the preservation process.
The stylus tracking weight is typically less than 2 grams.
Tracking is aided by a precision computer controlled motor drive.
The process also works equally well with concert (grand) cylinders and
other odd-sized cylinders.
If you are interested in your collection being recorded and preserved in this manner:
- Please contact me
before sending any cylinders in order to determine a schedule and work out any details.
- Please be sure to carefully follow the packing and shipping guidelines, below.
Packing guidelines
Would your package survive
the drop test?
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- The cylinder records:
- Identify: If possible, place each cylinder in a
cylinder carton along with a slip of paper
indicating what the recording is.
- Snug is key: There should be no loose rattling.
Cylinders should be snug (but not forced tight) inside each carton:
Gently shake each cylinder carton;
if the record is loose within, add just enough padding
(a small pad folded from a clean paper towel, for example)
inside the carton, under the lid, to keep the record steady.
Pack as if you were packing glass.
- The inner box:
- Limit quantity: Please keep the number of cylinders to less than three dozen per parcel.
- Padding material: Plastic "bubble wrap" or styrofoam-type "peanuts" padding are
preferred because they also provide the wax records with thermal insulation from
rapid temperature changes.
- Padding between cylinder cartons: Ideally, pack the cylinder
cartons with a minimum of 1" padding between each carton.
Wrapping each carton with bubble wrap is a fairly easy method.
- Again, snug is key: The cylinder cartons should be packed snugly
with no loose rattling among the cartons within the inner box.
- Double-box: Place the inner box, containing the packed records,
snugly inside a larger cardboard box – keeping a minimum of 3"
padding separating the inner and outer boxes on all sides.
Please note: Thicker cardboard boxes are better.
Shipping guidelines (Again, please be sure to contact me first before sending any cylinders)
- Mark your parcels "Fragile" conspicuously.
- If using US Mail, send using Priority Mail not parcel post which
has automated handling.
UPS insured is good too.
- Insure your shipment.
- Be sure there is tracking or delivery confirmation (built into UPS service; small extra charge for US mail).
After you send your shipment
- Please contact me with
- a "packing list" itemizing what you are sending,
- what your parcel(s) are insured for, who the carrier is and any tracking number.
- When your shipment arrives, I will send you an acknowledgement of
receipt and report the arrival condition of each record.
- I will carefully record and catalog your cylinders.
The recordings I make are digitally mastered.
My return shipment to you
- I will repack your records, including CD(s)
of your cylinder recordings, and a catalog of your records.
- The parcel(s) will be shipped back to you insured for the same
amount you had insured them for.
Final comments
- Unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume you will not mind being mentioned
in an acknowledgement (e.g. " . . . from the collection of John Doe") in any
future publication in which the recording might appear.
FYI: According to my research, most copyright protections for these early recordings
have lapsed or are limited to damages, which is nil.
- Thank you for helping to preserve our heritage of early recorded sound.
Copyright (C) (P) 1996-2024 Glenn Sage, Portland, Oregon. All Rights Reserved.
Contacting Tinfoil.com.
