Page 2 - Demo

The Flamephone was originally designed by Jack Kitchen, who was attempting to improve the bass and treble sound of his 2 horn Gramophone. He developed the technology between 1918 and 1925. In 1922, Jack had a breakthrough, and created a gas Gramophone with a single horn, which was then commercialised and given the name %u201cFlamephone%u201d, the name giving an indication of the process used to give you the improved product. The Flamephone was manufactured by Scientific and Projections Ltd., which was founded in 1919, by Clerkenwell Cinema Products and was located on Kidbrooke Park Road, Clerkenwell. It was located in the same Government building as H.H. Fairweather, the chemist who invented the continuous recording gas calorimeter.One of the most surprising elements of the Flamephone was how ridiculous the idea may seem. Whilst the concept may seem out of the ordinary, the process did actually help to improve the potential sound quality of the Gramophone. If this seems incredible, the way it works is even more so.A spring wound Gramophone fitted with a double-sided sound box was the base of this idea, with one sided of the %u201cdiaphragm%u201d connected to the horn, and the other connected to a Gas supply and pipes. The overarching concept of this was that the vibrations of the mica diaphragm would cause the gas columns in the burner tubes to pulsate, just like the way air passes through an organ pipe. This pulsation therefore increased the volume and quality of the sound, which is further aided by the reflection unit, which Jack named a resonator. It must have been quite an experience at the time listening in a darkened room with the sound and pulsating lights.One of the main issues with this product was the fact there was a need to dispose of the products. Jack managed to resolve this problem drilling out small holes along the length of the burner tubes, and lighting the gas which helped to make the Flamephone run smoother and producing an interesting effect.One of our contributors, Brian Sturt noted that the Flamephone featured on Antiques Roadshow, Series 43, which was broadcast, on the 21st of February 2021. It had reminded him of an article which appeared in HGT 3, written by the late Syd Bennet, after seeing a presentation on the subject by Ken Rastrict. This episode of Antiques Roadshow was held at the Windermere Jetty Museum, which is nearby to where Jack Kitchen lived and also died, in 1940. The Museum is believed to have a Flamephone as an exhibit. The expert valued the Flamephone at between %u00a3800 and %u00a31200 and said it was arguably the most unusual object that had ever been brought to him on the programme.This pioneering piece of British engineering is a demonstration of just one of the many revolutionary and ingenious musical creations to come out of Britain. It is a novel concept put into production and one that quite possibly helped to revolutionise the way people listen to music.Oliver ThomasHistoric Gas Times%u2022 Issue 108 %u2022 September 2021 %u2022pagepage22THE FLAMEPHONE