<P> The earliest disc records (1889--1894) were made of variety of materials including hard rubber . Around 1895, a shellac - based material was introduced and became standard . Formulas for the mixture varied by manufacturer over time, but it was typically about one - third shellac and two - thirds mineral filler (finely pulverized slate or limestone), with cotton fibers to add tensile strength, carbon black for color (without which it tended to be an unattractive "dirty" gray or brown color), and a very small amount of a lubricant to facilitate release from the manufacturing press . Columbia Records used a laminated disc with a core of coarser material or fiber . The production of shellac records continued throughout the 78 rpm era which lasted until the 1950s in industrialized nations, but well into the 1960s in others . Less abrasive formulations were developed during its waning years and very late examples in like - new condition can have noise levels as low as vinyl . </P> <P> Flexible, "unbreakable" alternatives to shellac were introduced by several manufacturers during the 78 rpm era . Beginning in 1904, Nicole Records of the UK coated celluloid or a similar substance onto a cardboard core disc for a few years, but they were noisy . In the United States, Columbia Records introduced flexible, fiber - cored "Marconi Velvet Tone Record" pressings in 1907, but their longevity and relatively quiet surfaces depended on the use of special gold - plated Marconi Needles and the product was not successful . Thin, flexible plastic records such as the German Phonycord and the British Filmophone and Goodson records appeared around 1930 but not for long . The contemporary French Pathé Cellodiscs, made of a very thin black plastic resembling the vinyl "sound sheet" magazine inserts of the 1965--1985 era, were similarly short - lived . In the US, Hit of the Week records were introduced in early 1930 . They were made of a patented translucent plastic called Durium coated on a heavy brown paper base . A new issue debuted weekly, sold at newsstands like a magazine . Although inexpensive and commercially successful at first, they fell victim to the Great Depression and US production ended in 1932 . Durium records continued to be made in the UK and as late as 1950 in Italy, where the name "Durium" survived into the LP era as a brand of vinyl records . Despite these innovations, shellac continued to be used for the overwhelming majority of commercial 78 rpm records throughout the format's lifetime . </P> <P> In 1931, RCA Victor introduced vinyl plastic - based Victrolac as a material for unusual - format and special - purpose records . One was a 16 - inch, ​ 33 ⁄ rpm record used by the Vitaphone sound - on - disc movie system . In 1932, RCA began using Victrolac in a home recording system . By the end of the 1930s vinyl's light weight, strength, and low surface noise had made it the preferred material for prerecorded radio programming and other critical applications . For ordinary 78 rpm records, however, the much higher cost of the synthetic plastic, as well as its vulnerability to the heavy pickups and mass - produced steel needles used in home record players, made its general substitution for shellac impractical at that time . During the Second World War, the United States Armed Forces produced thousands of 12 - inch vinyl 78 rpm V - Discs for use by the troops overseas . After the war, the use of vinyl became more practical as new record players with lightweight crystal pickups and precision - ground styli made of sapphire or an exotic osmium alloy proliferated . In late 1945, RCA Victor began offering "De Luxe" transparent red vinyl pressings of some Red Seal classical 78s, at a De luxe price . Later, Decca Records introduced vinyl Deccalite 78s, while other record companies used vinyl formulations trademarked as Metrolite, Merco Plastic, and Sav - o - flex, but these were mainly used to produce "unbreakable" children's records and special thin vinyl DJ pressings for shipment to radio stations . </P> <P> In the 1890s, the recording formats of the earliest (toy) discs were mainly 12.5 cm (nominally 5 inches) in diameter; by the mid-1890s, the discs were usually 7 inches (nominally 17.5 cm) in diameter . </P>

When did the record industry begin using polyvinyl plastic to manufacture records
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