h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I would appreciate any advice that someone might have for replicating Edison's methods with off-the-shelf parts. Does aluminum foil work as well as tin foil? If I get a big bolt to serve as a screw, will that be a suitable speed for recording or will I have to crank it so fast that it's not worthe trouble? Can I just glue any old needle to a plastic lid to serve as the diaphram and stylus?

I would appreciate commentary from those who have done this.

I'm thinking, I'm thinking.
In the mean time you might want to check out HowStuffWorks.Com

http://www.howstuffworks.com/

duh, me...

And I believe there is an Edison page at um, what was it, Greenfield Village or something like that, the Henry Ford Museum collection of buildings, including the Menlo Park lab.

More later.

I think I saw something with a paper cup with a piece of wax paper in the bottom with a cactus spine shoved through it, once in a school science video...

Not to be condescending, but you might check this out, too:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A681095

And here are the directions, including hardware store ingredients:




http://freeweb.pdq.net/headstrong/phono.htm

I appreciate your research efforts. I have already found that handy site with the instructions. I would be more interested to here from someone who has tried it and perhaps has some handy tips for excellence. It was very kind of you to do the internet searching.

Okay. Just a reflex.

Okay. Just a reflex.