Barbora Benetková

WHITE BLOOM – UNDERSTANDING THE DEGRADATION OF BROWN-WAX PHONOGRAPH CYLINDERS

Phonograph cylinders awake curiosity in scientists from various disciplines. For many years, these early audio carriers were considered to be relatively stable. The degradation found was attributed either to microbiological growth resulting from inadequate storage conditions or to mechanical damage caused by improper handling.

During recent years, several technological studies of phonograph cylinders were made to better understand the matrix and degradation alike. Microbiological Screening and microscopic Investigation confirmed that the white degradation patterns on brown-wax cylinders’ surfaces are not caused by an active microbiological growth, but rather are symptoms of physicochemical processes occurring within the matrix.

This shift in understanding suggests that current approach and standard storage conditions may not be sufficient to prevent further degradation. Since up to this point the precise mechanism of material degradation remains unknown, further research is needed to protect this oldest audio medium for future generations.

The presentation is based on the following article, which was developed jointly: Barbora Benetková, Petra Korandová, Kristýna Boumová, Hana Sýkorová, Jana Kadavá, Michal Studničný, Radka Šefců, Martin Mejzr, Filip Šír: Degradation marks of phonograph cylinders, in: Koroze a ochrana materiálu 66 (1), 150–159.

Barbora Benetková is a conservation technologist, currently working as a postdoc at the Institute of Chemistry of Renewable Resources at BOKU Vienna, focusing mainly on applied analytics. Between 2021 and 2023, she worked at the Sound Laboratory of the National Museum in Prague as a material technologist. During this time, she focused on the elucidation of brown-wax phonograph cylinders’ degradation together with the National Gallery and the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague.