Back when Apollo Masters' roof burned and they closed, I got a call from a cutting engineer in L. A. who was contacting their regular customers to assure them that the place would most likely reopen, once the insurance had been settled and they knew what funding would be available. The guy mentioned that their location in Banning, California was not an accident - that its relative humidity stability, being in the sub-desert terrain of southern California, was beneficial to the all-important
curing process that lacquers need to undergo, after initial drying, so that they can cut well (and have the chip not drop or shatter during the two phases of lacquer springback. The first such phase happens in real time, during cutting. The second phase of lacquer springback is what occurs after cutting during the first few dozen hours tbat a master or dub sits or is shipped to be processed or played.)
Although excellent lacquers can be made anywhere, a certain amount of 'terraforming' would be needed within a given plant for successful manufacture of lacquer-coated cutting disks. Indeed, this was undertaken by the reputable, original Transco company of Linden, New Jersey.
As the brochure scans shared on, master cutter, Paul Brekus's Aardvark Mastering website show, Transco claims to have implemented atmospheric control techniques for their factory to be able to make good blanks.
blurb on right-hand side boasts of atmospheric control...
- Screen Shot 2023-02-25 at 9.56.05 AM.png (79.76 KiB) Viewed 7355 times
Notice how the ladies shown didn't wear surgical masks when inspecting the lacquers.
- Screen Shot 2023-02-25 at 9.56.31 AM.png (103.58 KiB) Viewed 7355 times
pretty nice facility, still, on the outside.
- Screen Shot 2023-02-25 at 10.00.53 AM.png (476.33 KiB) Viewed 7355 times
