Jon Pousette-Dart's letter in Tape Op 82

[Angie]

Saw Jon's letter in Tape Op 82 regarding his wire recorder. And just had to respond.

I've been working with and transferring wire recordings for over 10 years. And I have many heart-breaking stories of families wanting to get the old machine working so they can hear these wire recordings again. I caution them to have the wires professionally transferred first! After the audio has been safely preserved, then the wires can be played on the old machine without fear. A machine that has been sitting around for years needs more than a power cord before putting a wire on it. You must make sure it is properly lubricated so that the winding action is working properly, otherwise the wire will become tangled and you will lose it forever. I put out that strong warning because that is when it is decided to contact someone like me who untangles wires. Many times, it is too late.

I've never run across bad wheels in these machines, but chances are that it will need re-capping. I've never heard of a wire machine (particularly Webster-Chicago) manufactured specifically for 220-volt. I do know that they were used in countries with 50-Hz grids without modification.

Angie Dickinson Mickle

[swafford]

BTW Skip Simmons had a shitload of NOS, high quality 2 prong cords a few years back. Skip's a nut, love that guy.