US1002659A - Process of making metallic duplicate sound-records. - Google Patents

Description

F. L. DYER.

PROCESS 0F MAKING METALLICv DUPLIGATB SOUND RECORDS.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.27. 1908.

1,002,659, A v Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.A

FRANK L. D'YER, 0F MONTCLAIR, VNEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THOMAS A. EDISON, INCORPORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A vCOR- PORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented sept. 5, 1911.

Application led January 27, 1908. Sen'al No. 412,741.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK' L. DYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Process of Making Metallic Duplicate Sound-Records, of which the followin is a description.

Iy invention relates to an improved process for making metallic duplicate sound records, whether of cylindrical or disk type, and my object is to provide a very simple process which can be carried 'out on a commercial scale for the production of an unlimited number of accurate metallic duplicates from a sin le mold or matrix. Metallic duplicates t us made will permit the effective production and reproduction of a record of very great fineness, say, of three'- thousandths of an inch, or less in width.

The invention resides in the fact that by producing on the record surface of the matrix or mold an excessively thin coherent layer of so-called cement copper, andby electroplatingthe metal thereon, the adhesion between the particles of cement copper and between the latter and the matrix or mold, on the one hand and the electrodeposited met-al on the other, is so slight as to ermit the ready separation of` the electrogeposited metal, after which any of the cement copper adhering thereto, orto the mold, can be easily rubbed off. When the mold or matrix is of a tubular form, the electrodeposited metal will exist as a shell and can be removed by collapsing the shell inwardly, but when vthe matrix or mold is in the form of a fiat disk, the electrodeposited metal can be freely stripped' olf of the same. The shell or disk obtained in this way, carrying the representation of the rec ord to be duplicated, is supported on a suitable foundation.

In order that the invention may be better understood, attent-ion is directed to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specliication, and in which* Figure 1 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the matrix or mold with its film of cement copper deposited on the record surface thereof, and with the electrodeposited layer constituting the record surface of the duplicate; Fig. 2 a cross-sectional view illustrating the manner lbeing either tubular or of tional view of the composite cylindrical record with a metallic surface.

In the above views, corresponding parts are represented by the same numerals of reference.

The mold 1, is of any'suitable character, disk form, and is provided with theA usual negative record surface, as shown. 'I place the mold in a suitable cobalt plating bath, preferably a concentrated solution of cobalt chlorid with cobalt anodes, and plate on the record surface anl exceedingly thin film or blush of cobalt 2,which may be less than .0001 of an inch in thickness. During this plating, the mold is preferably rot-ated so as to make the plating uniform. Themold is now washed and is then. immersed in a solution of copper sulfate, the reaction causing the cobalt to go into the solution and the copper to be deposited as minutely granular', but slightly adhesive form. Preferably, the immersion iscontinued only long enough to result in the covering of the cobalt lilm with a perfect layer of cement copper, so as to leave a part of the cobalt film still intact. If all the cobalt were dissolved in the copper sulfate bath, there might be danger of the electrodeposited lm being plated imperfectly at rst, since it is deposited under'a condition of tension, but it will be understood of course, Y

that if desired, the entire film of cobalt may be reduced to cement copper. Instead of first depositing on the mold a thin blush of cobalt, as explained, any other metal might be used in connection with which substantially the same reactions take place, for instance, iron. Having coated the record surface of the matrix or mold with 'an excessively thin iilm of cement copper, as explained, I now electroplate upon such film, a heavier deposit 3, of a suitable metal, upon which the record is to be made. This is preferably nickel, owing to its non-oxidizing properties. Preferably, during the operations Which have been described, the matrix or mold, except for its record surface vis protected by a coating of varnish or parafn,

or some similar material, so that the plating operations will be confined to the record surface.` The Shell or disk of nickel or other cement copper iny a metal, Vwhich has thus been formed (depend-I of potash,

ing, of course, whether the mold is tubular or disk-like) is removed, which can be readily effected, owing to the slightly adhesive character -ofv the film of cement copper. When the mold'is tubular, the` shell is preferably collapsed, asshown in Fig. 2. Having obtained a shell or disk of electro-plated metal, carrying an accurate copy of the record to be duplicated', it is now supported on a suitable foundation 4, of plaster-of- Paris, or papier mch. It .will be understood that in order to facilitate the stripping of the electrodeposited duplicate from the matrix, the matrix with the electroplated depo ft inl position, may be subjected to a thirty to forty per cent. solution of cyanid by which the cement copper will be dissolved, so as to entirely free the electrodeposited layer, butordinarily this is not necessary, since the adhesion, of the particles of cement copper is so slight as to permit the electrodeposited layer to be readily stripped from the matrix or mold.

Having now described myl invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureA by Letters fatentis as follows j 1. A process fory making metallic duplicate copies of sound records, which consists inapplying to the record surface of a matrix or mold, a very thin film of granular slightly adhesive cement copper, in electroplating a thin and relatively non-oxidizablev metal thereon, and in nally separating the electrov deposited metal from the matrix or mold, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A process for makin metallic duplicate copies'of sound recor s, which consists in applying to the recordsurface of the Imatrix or mold, an -excessivelythin film of cobalt, in then subjecting the deposited film to a copper solution to thereby result in the formation of granulanslightly adhesive cement copper, in electrodepositing on the cel ment copper a heavier layer of metal, and in finally removing the latterdeposit, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A process `for making metallic duplicate copies of sound records, which consists in rotating a matrix or mold in -a cobalt plating bath, and in depositing on the record` surfaceof the matrix or mold an excessively thin film of cobalt, in then subjecting the cobalt film to a copper solution, result-ing in theformation of granular slightly adhesive cement copper film, in then electrodepositing ametal thereon, and in finally removing'the reo electrodeposited metal, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. A process for making metallic duplicatecopies of sound records, which cons1sts in el'ectroplating on the record surface of a matrix or mold an excessively thin filmvof cobalt, in subjecting said film to the effect of a copper solution so as to convert a part only of the lm to granular slightly adhesive cement copper, in then electroplating a metal thereon, and in finally removino the electrodeposit, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. YA process for making metallic duplicate copies of sound records, which consists in applying to the record surface of the matrix or mold, an excessively thin film of a metal having the power to replace copper in a copper solution, in then subjecting the deposited film to a copper solution to thereby result in the formation of granular slightly adhesive cement copper, in electrodepositing on the cement copper a heavier layer of metal, and in finally removing the latter deposit, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

6. A process for making metallic duplicate copies of sound records, which consists in rotating a matrix or mold in a plating bath and in depositing on the record surface of the matrix or mold an excessively thin lm of the metal the salt of which is in solution in the bath, the metal being one having the power to replace copper in a copper solution, in then subjecting the film so deposited to a copper solution resulting in the formation of a granular slightly adhesive cement copper film, in then electro-depositing a metal thereon,.and in finallyremoving lthe electro-deposited metal, substantially asl and for the purposes set forth.

' 7. A process for makin metallic duplicate copies of sound recor s, which consists in electro-plating on the record surface of a matrlx or mold an excessively thin film of a metal having the power to replace copper in a copper solution, in subjecting said film to the effect of a copper solution so as to convert a part only of the film to granular slightly adhesive cement copper, in then electroplating a metal thereon, and in finally removing the electro-deposit, substantially as and for the purposes lset forth.

8. A process for making metallic dupli- .cate copies of sound records, which consists 1n applying to the record surface of the tubular matrix or mold an excessively thin film of a 'metal having the power to replace copper in a copper solution, in then subjecting the deposited film to a copper solution to thereby result in the formation of granular slightly adhesive cement copper, in electrodepositing on the cement copper a heavier layer of metal to form a positive record, and in finally removing the latter from the mold and the cement copper by collapsing the same, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. A process for makin metallic duplicate colpies of sound' records which consists in app ying to the record surface of a matrix or mold, a very thin film of granular slightly adhesive cement copper, and eleetro- This specification signed and witnessed plating a thin deposit of metal thereon, in this 25 day of Jan. 1908. dissolving out the cement copper by a soluf tion of cyanid of potash, and finally sep- FRANK L' DYER' 5 arating the electro-deposited material from Witnesses:

the matrix or mold, substantially as and for ANNA R. KLEHM,

the purpose set forth. FRANK D. LEWIS.

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