The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-09
COATS WITH GOLD vAPoR.
Edison's Latest Triumph Is Gliding
with the Precious Metals.
PhlIadelphia North Americanl


With the Precious Metals.
philadelphia North American)
Thomas A. Edison has just achieved
another Of his wonderful inventive tri-
umphs. After working necessarily for
/ eight years he has perfected his
vacuum depositing process" for va
pOrizing gold and other metals.
/ The first effect of the new invention
has been the revolutionizing of phono-
! graph cylinder manufacture. On the
/ lst of February the big photograph
/ works belonging to Edison at Level
! lyn, n. j., began making records by the
new process.
1t may now be said that the perfect
photograph is an assured fact
But the new process does not confine
/ itself to photographic cylinder prOduc-
/ ton. It enters into some Of the widest
/ fields Of commercial endeavor.
Edison will soon be making mirrors
coated with gold and with silver, and
gold plated window and lamp globes.
/ 1t viii be possible before long TO buy
gold lace apparently genuine) at
cents a yard.
The new photograph cylinders are
made with vapor of gold.
The monograph is now an almost
perfect instrument Now records have
none Of the Punch-and-Jud twang
which made the old ones so objection
able
One record cylinder is as good as an
other. each reproduction being as per-
feet as the "master-record" which
/ forms its original.
Employing the old method, it was
! necessary to get one good record
termed the master then, from
| that others were made by a process
Of duplication on double Photographs.
This duplicating process consisted in
setting the master-record on a ma
chine like monograph, and then plac-
ing another cylinder (having a clean.
unmarked record on IT'D beside it. A
/ fine point fitted into the master-record,
] the other end Of which cut into the re-
ceiving cylinder Thus the master-rec-
/ ord was literally traced by mechanical
means UPON the new record.
! This cutting Of one cylinder into an
other was necessarily attended with
many imperfections. In the first
place, the little knives that did the
/ cutting into the wax were always
wearing out. even though Edison made
them with blades Of sapphire.
! Under the most favorable conditions
/ it was difficult TO obtain more than so
/ per cent Of the sound which came from
| the master record. Besides, the dupli-
/ Gates were of varying degree OF per
| lection, some being fair representatives
/ Of the master" other poor limitations,
| These deficiencies were caused by the
| divergent conditions of the work. It
was almost impossible to obtain a me
/ ChaniCally correct record.
/ The duplication process was also. of
| course, extremely slow Working at
! full capacity. the machines were sell
dom able to turn out more than thirty
| records taken from a master record in
one day.
/ The making of a photographic rec
/ ord is not one Of the easiest things i'm
| aginable. Hundreds Of little things
have to be looked after.
] In the first place, cylinder is not
! really wax. as is popularity supposed. II
! is a species of soap, which, however
unlike ordinary soap, is not affected by
water.
! The cylinders being ready for receiv-
/ ing their sound impressions, records
are taken on them Regular artists
! come to the photograph works to sing
or play, into the monographs.
The new Edison process is this:
! When the master record has been made
/ it is placed in vacuum. IL is held NJ
In the vacuum receptacle by a sort OF
| core.
/ Into this vacuum two wires are in
| troduced, one connected with the posi-
tive, the other with the negative pole
OF battery. These wires are Of gold
and gold strips in the vacuum in con-
tact with each wire.
The record cylinder Is so placed that
it can be rapidly rotated by magnets
placed on the outside of the vacuum
case.
When the electricity is turned on
and the wires charged, gold vapOr is
given of from both wires and strips
This vapOr strikes against the rapidly
[ turning record cylinder. and very soon
on the face of the cylinder, may be
seen a deposit Of gold in a very thir
/ sheet.
The cylinder looks as il it had beer
out in q golden mist and become sat
urated with golden moisture.
The fine vapor Of gold is thus driven
into all the little dents and markings
even the minutest-on the phonograpt
master cylinder. The gold is so fine
that it actually coats the cylinder. as
/ If II were water.
When there is a sufficient deposit oil
gold on the cylinder. it is taken out and
placed in a copper bath. A deposit OF
| copper one sixteenth Of an inch IN
thickness is electrOplated on the sur.
face Of the gold.
The object of putting on the copper
is to keep the gold from breaking dowr
when other records are taken from the
! metal cylinder which forms thus q
/ species of matrix or mold
Having the metal matrix all that i.
now necessary in order to obtain a rec.
ord from it is to bring It's surface fl
contact with molten wax.
As any substances placed in the Edi
son vacuum become covered by golC
vapor. the inventor has succeeded il
producing some exquisite gold lace
made by merely suspending pieces Of
cotton lace in the vacuum cylinder.
The process. while seemingly verJ
simple. has occupied eight years Of tn,
inventors best thought
The Newest Drink.