Posted 5 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
Most of us here (even the youngun's?!) probably know what "recording tape" is in at least some form -- whether cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, Watergate tapes ;-) or any other sort -- things intended to be used to create lasting and mechanically reproduce-able records of some kind of "audio event".
Some may not know, however, that the actual 'technology/process' itself that makes audio tape work, was actually invented a good bit before the tape itself was invented then perfected. I didn't even realize exactly how much before, until finding this concise Wikipedia article while writing this description:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_recording
The long story shorter of that -- people had been working on the process of recording sound on lengths of things (in order to be able to create physically longer recordings than wax cylinders or shellac discs would allow) for a long time before somebody actually invented that shiny usually brownish colored plastic(ish)"magnetic tape" itself. Until then, they used spools of thin steel wire instead. Think of the old "HOGAN'S HEROES" TV series, where wire recorders (even if likely 'TV props') were frequently seen as probably pretty accurate representation of 'spy technology' during WWII...?
This item is a spool of wire intended to be used with such a recorder. Made by WEBSTER - CHICAGO, the box shows their CAT. No. 11X173 / 15 Minute though the reel inside is marked CAT. NO. W-174 1/2 HOUR SPOOL. The backside of the box (not shown) includes an address for WEBSTER with a "Chicago 39" postal code, leading me to think it is a product of the early 1950's. The box measures 3-1/4" square by 7/8" deep, the reel itself is made of cast metal, about 2-3/4" x 5/8" with a 1-5/8" open center.
I found it someplace a couple decades ago (?) at some sale or junk shop or somewhere I don't remember. Grabbed it up because it was cheap and (again, from HOGAN'S HEROES) I recognized what it was, though until then (and since) I hadn't ever seen such a spool. Sadly I still also have not ever seen (or had the opportunity to acquire) anything but pictures of the actual wire-recorder machines... :-(
A brief slot in history.
It's kind of like the Kodak Movie Camera that could produce the movie instantly with the viewer that came with it. They made them about 1 year before affordable VCR's came out and made them instantly obsolete. Still this was state of the art and more advanced than any other recording medium at the time. If they had made 8-track wire players, instead of tapes, imagine the mess it would make when you pulled your cartridge out and found out it had "ate" your wire! I had a 8-track with a voracious appetite, it loved the more expensive tapes especially!
THANKS Y'ALL for the likes and loves!! Agreeing completely with all your comments, it's not difficult to imagine this reel might represent the mostest 'hi-tech' (high$?) example of 'audio recording medium' available in its own era...all 5mins (relatively) of that before magnetic tape came out, and now we're back to that "instantly obsolete" thought...
Which brings to mind one more mystery about this which will probably remain mostly unsolvable -- I wonder what recording (if any) of what 'event' might still exist on this wire...? I've already got machines for most common 'tapes', but (as already noted) haven't really even *seen* a wire recorder/player much less had a chance to get one...