Proper Cylinder Cleaning Materials and Methods

[snazz123]

Hello all. I'm a newbie to the Edison Fireside Cylinder Phonograph which I recently purchased on eBay. I have several cylinders: Some look virtually new, some are moldy but look salvageable if cleaned properly, and some are cracked, broken and useless. In the article which I found online, the process described seemed like a perfect way to clean my cylinders but the fluid is only sold in industrial-sized quantities and I don't need to spend $100+ for 8lbs. of the stuff so I'd like your thoughts, please.

I found this intriguing post online. Perhaps you've seen it. This Curator is no longer at U of Michigan so I don't know where to reach him. Here's what he posted:

"Cleaning Cylinders
Geoffrey Brown
Curator of Conservation
Kelsey Museum
University of Michigan

In the early 70's I carried out a project which involved, prior to transcription, cleaning over 3000 wax cylinders, most of which had fungal growth on them. The same technique (and the equipment I built) were then used by the Library of Congress (for 9000+ cylinders) and the Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University (for 7000+ cylinders). This cleaning process was quite simple and extremely effective:
1. Mix a tepid solution of Labtone Detergent (a proprietary formulation from VWR Scientific) until the mixture feels slippery (about 1% or so). Use deionized water to mix.

2. Immerse each cylinder in the solution while holding it with spread fingers inserted into the interior only.

3. Saturate a small (3x6") piece of polyester velvet or velveteen in the solution and while the cylinder is immersed, gently drag the velveteen around the cylinder's circumference, allowing the pile of the velveteen to gently "scrub" the grooves.

4. Rinse the cylinder thoroughly in running deionized water and stand on-end to dry on an absorbent or drained surface. The remaining water will bead on the surface and may be removed with "Webril Wipes" or similar non-abrasive cotton wipers (used for cleaning copier machine drums).

The reason that I specify Labtone is that it is a balanced detergent that is formulated to effectively remove organic gunk and oily material. It is very effective on removing the fungal mycelium but doesn't harm the wax. It rinses off completely, leaving no residue. This detergent is intended for hand washing, so it doesn't destroy your skin although you will probably want to wear surgical gloves to protect the cylinders from skin oils. Although I have tested a broad range of other formulated laboratory detergents and individual detergent agents, none seems to perform as well as Labtone for this
application.

Avoid returning cleaned cylinders to the original packing. Discard any wool, cotton, glassine or felt liners in the cylinder boxes (they are actually pasteboard tubes) and insert new liners of 2-3 smoothly fitted layers of polyester felt. Cylinder boxes should be ventilated to avoid further fungal growth and often have a hole in the bottom which serves this purpose. If no hole is present, it might be a good idea to cut a 1" diameter hole in the box bottom. Alternatively, the Library of Congress had developed a nifty telescoping archival cylinder box that supports the cylinder from the inside on pyramid-shaped projections. They may still have these available and might be willing to sell a few."

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Well, it seemed like this was the best route to go and this professional had quite the systems. Well, the other day, I contacted VWR Scientific. The long and short of it was that their smallest sized bottle of this "VWR® Labtone® Laboratory Cleaning Compound" is EIGHT pounds at over $100! There was no way I could get, say, 8 or 16 ounces of the stuff! Clearly they are not targeting end users like us. One ounce mixed with a gallon is all I'd need at first.

So, this leaves me in the lurch re: proper cleaning of the cylinders I purchased. Do you and of you experts out there have any cleaning tips, tricks and "solutions" (in all meanings of that word!) for getting the most from cylinder recordings and avoiding damaging them?

Thanks a lot for your feedback!

SNazz123

[maroongem]

SNazz123,

Hi and welcome to the board! I'm familiar with this method of cleaning cylinders but have never used it myself. To clean cylinders that are dirty (and not moldy), I use distilled water and a shot of mild dish detergent like Ivory mixed in a gallon pail. To clean the groove, I use a soft make-up brush that you can buy at a cosmetics counter in places like Macy's or CVS. Pat dry with a soft non-abrasive cloth or blow dry it carefully with compressed air if you have a small compressor and air gun. Be careful not to bear down on the groove with the cloth as you may distort it. Once dry, I don't put them back in the lined boxes as this is a recipe for disaster if any moisture remains. This is where the mold usually originated in the first place. If you have a cylinder cabinet, this is probably the best medium to store them but you can make your own storage boxes with cardboard tubing (toilet paper roll sized) and a shoe box. Early storage boxes were very similar to this.
There is not much you can do if the cylinder is pitted from mold. Cleaning will not reverse the damage caused by those little critters that dined on the compounds used to make the record.
Later 2M Edison cylinders as well as the 4M Amberols don't seem to suffer from the mold issue as the compounds used are different but they have their own issues, fragility being the foremost.
Also, make sure the temp of the cleaning solution is the same as the record or you run the risk of cracking/shattering the cylinder due to temperature difference.

Bill

[martinola]

I couldn't have said it better, Bill. I'd like to add the obvious for those who may not know: When using this method, be extra sure that the cylinder being cleaned is a solid wax cylinder rather than a celluloid cylinder with a cardboard or plaster core. Water will mess these up quicker than quick. A careful wipe-down on the outside of these is OK, but the inside cores need to be kept dry.
Regards,
Martin

[snazz123]

Thank you maroongem and martinola for your suggestions, insights and guidance! The various cylinders I have gotten range from broken to moldy to pretty clean. The type on solid wax vs. the cardboard or plaster core is very important to know. Thanks for giving me the info I needed before I made mistakes.

Best wishes for the Holidays and thanks again.

SNazz123

[rgordon939]

You can find cylinder cleaner on eBay for $5.00.

[iainp]

Hi, as another newbie, can I please ask what I'm sure is an obvious question?! What are the benefits of cleaning the cylinders? Does it improve playing quality or is it more a matter of protecting them, or the playing equipment? I ask because I've been playing my dusty and dirty cylinders without using any cleaning at all....
Thanks,

Iain

[martinola]

Hi Iain.
The Geoffrey Brown article highlighted the need to remove and kill the mold on wax cylinders - otherwise it might to continue to spread while stored. By removing grit and debris, one also lessens the wear on the fragile grooves (and your stylus) in subsequent plays. The results of cleaning will often show as significant lowering of surface noise and static. This is especially true if you play your records electrically.

That said, I try not to "wet clean" unless the wax record is obviously dirty. Cleaning records carries some degree of risk in damaging the recording or breakage, so I try to be pretty conservative. I've been in the habit of doing a dry "dust-off" with a very soft brush and doing a digital transfer before doing any further cleaning.

If you are playing Blue Amberols, then we are talking about a more durable celluloid surface. Often a slightly damp wipe-down with the occasional wipe-off with a piece of clean velvet is sufficient. (Still, the less grit, the better...)
Regards,
Martin

[iainp]

Hi Martin, thanks for that. I'll start with a soft brush and take it from there.
Regards,

Iain