[Doug Houston]

You have a good idea, and you'd probably have a lot of fun, playing them for you dad. There is one unfortunate thing that plays into your idea. When the discs were new, the lacquer coating on them was soft, and would cut cleanly and quietly. Nor much time passed before they had hardened with age, and would not cut easily or quietly.

Home recording on discs faded away in the early fifties with the advent of wire and later, tape recording. Lots of discs were sold, mainly for use on professional recorders, where a better quality recording could be made. When you bought those discs from the electronic supply house, you tested them with your fingernail, observing if there was a visible dent at the outer edge of the disc. If so, you bought. If not, you didn't.

Several attempts have been made to soften the lacquer coating on the discs, with no success that I've ever heard of. I wish there were some way, as I have quite a few old blanks, and a Presto professional recorder. But, I'm in the same boat as everyone else; the discs just won't cut properly or quietly.