The Wire Recorder: An Introduction and Tear Down

The Wire Recorder is a fascinating technology from the mid 40s and is like a time capsule that I cracked open with new capacitors! In this video we see the format and HEAR as voices from the past speak to us from inside a metal wire.

[Fredy]

I love to see that you have such respect for these old devices... It is really nice to see a fellow enthusiast refer to them as "magical timecapsules" which they kind of are. Thanks for taking the time to share them with us. You are doing a great job! :)

[tonyperek]

I love to see those old devices restored.

[CassetteMaster]

Very nice wire recorder demonstration! It is amazing to hear the old recordings.

[markrobinson]

My family had one of these. Yours is identical to ours. We had it in the early 50's and my Dad got so frustrated with wiring it all up each time. We had so many wire tangles. I so wish I knew where it was and you have piqued my interest so I will begin my search.

Thank You

[smvwees]

Never knew the sound quality was that reasonable, especially for speech!
Thought it would be an noisy crackly inaudible mess like a worn 78rpm disc.

[JonPHX]

Great video. I own a wire recorder that belonged to by Grandparents also from 1947. Was thrilled to hear my great-grandfather's voice as he died 13 years before I was born. Looking for a way to convert the recordings to digital files. I did some open air cassette recordings about 20 years ago and now hardly anyone owns cassette decks to play them! How quickly recording technologies changes! Thanks again for sharing!

[bryan-podn]

Amazing recording! Thanks for putting in the effort to restore and share this.

[frac]

Wire recorders were very common as "black box" flight recorders, and I wouldn't be surprised if many are still in reliable service on older planes. Wire being a little more forgiving during a fire (though hardly indestructible), and reliable for many, many re-recordings.

[martineley]

Great intro, have 4 of these coming down to Australia to add to our Reel to Reel collection. Looks like a real challenge, thanks for the breakdown.

[LeonMare]

I bought a Model 228 3 for R5.00 ZAR - Five Rand (about $0.40) when I was a radiotrician apprentice - almost qualified - in 1972. The only spool of wire jammed up beyond repair and I managed to get a box with 5 spools for R3! There is a telephone conversation on one spool and the one guy is worried about where the economy is heading... It has only one dictate and one transcribe button instead of the record/listen knobs on this one in the video at 03:15. It has a transparent dust cover with this funny inscription: "Webster-Chicago Dictation Machine with Natural Voice Playback" ;) It also has a carry case and mic. 'Remote' pause/play on mic - hard wired. It is a 60Hz 220VAC version. Should have been 50 Hz for South Africa. So it runs at the wrong speed!

[juliolopez]

Great video. Never saw or heard of this technology. I do love reel to reels. These machines are very impresive.

[Vmartyr]

I found 20 spools at an estate sale and coincidentally when I asked a friend who collects old radios about wire recorders - he said, "You can have mine!" The same model! I have powered it up and have yet to test it. Right away it looks like it will  not rewind. As you may have seen with these spools of fine steel wire - once off the reel - oh boy! Seeing your restoration I am encouraged to attempt a minor repair. Replacing capacitors?...yikes!  Thanks for your passion and sharing.

[m.m.radiochannel]

Loved the wire player. I had seen them as a child never owned one had reel to reel player. Very nice.

[usvalve]

It sounds as if the wire at the start had been previously used, insufficiently erased and re-recorded. Unless what we were hearing was massive print-through. Does wire suffer from print-through like tape can?

[JCHaywire]

This is maybe the coolest thing I have ever seen. I ran across a wire recorder at Salvation Army on Lake St. in Minneapolis a decade or so ago, but it was overpriced so I never bought it. I am astounded at the fidelity of this recording. I haven't read all of the comments below, but have you been able to identify the recordings? I imagine if those who were recorded could hear this--or their relatives, it would be priceless.

[gregorywest]

Its not just copper wire, it is steel wire. Also you are lucky that you did not take out the power transformer. In old equipment always replace E-caps in power supplies FIRST or let the magic smoke out of them. Very hard to come by. good video, Greg

[roymiller]

I have 5 1950 Webster-Chicago recordings in my possession. I am trying to find someone to transfer them to a cd so I can hear my father's voice and the voices of deceased relatives. Can you provide this service for me? I do not wish to purchase a machine since I only have 5 reels.

[edwardvarno]

The local history museum I am the director of recently received a 80-1 as a donation. The 1 amp fuse was blown. Likely the symptom of a larger problem. There were 8 wire recording reels with it. Wonder what history are on them?

[kevinmcdermott]

Thank you for the videos.i like the recorder so much I found one and bought it.i have some questions.what did you clean the wire head with.

[burtreynolds]

Very cool! Is there a way to get the recording from the wire recorder onto another device. I see there is an output, but it looks like it needs a special plug.