Blue Amberol Restore/Remanufacture?

[diggr]

I have a collection of cylinders, the majority of which are Blue Amberols in various states of disrepair.

Question 1: How do clean these things up so that when I get the Amberola running again they play as well as they can?

Question 2: Given that the actual recording is a thin layer on the outside of a plaster core, has anyone ever tried to remove the original core and recast it?

I'll readily admit to being at least 1/2 a bubble out of plumb, but hey - why not? I got sucked into this "sport" by a guy with a black Ford truck. ;D

[maroongem]

Diggr,

You can clean the outside surface with a damp cloth with a bit of a mild dish detergent on it. I use simple green on mine. It floats off any mildew that may have appeared w/o hurting the celluloid surface. I'm sure you'll receive other ideas as well.
As far as re-plastering the entire core of a BA, I've never attempted it. Usually if a significant amount of plaster is missing, the celluloid often times shrinks and dips downward toward the core center. Those I pitch into the trash. You can replace minor plaster loss with new plaster with either plaster of Paris or spackle. If you go the spackle route, use the non vinyl type. When it dries, you can re-ream to fit.

[gibsonj]

Diggr,

Here's a link I ran across that describes a pretty scientific approach to cleaning cylinders, particularly the wax Amberols or the Gold-Molded 2-minutes.

cool-palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/1996/1038.html


Pretty interesting, I thought.

John

[tarheeltinkerer]

I had a thought this morning in the shower...there is a stuff called QuikSteel which is a type of epoxy putty I use on automotive work. They make a version specifically for adhesion to plastics and is white in color. I wonder if this stuff would work to fill in plaster gaps? There is no water involved, and it can be sanded/shaved after setting. It hardens in five minutes and I think has the usual "24 hours till fully cured" criteria. Thoughts anyone?

www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(wrydh045v0hhilbhva1egmjm)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=8201261

Perhaps an experiment on a heavily damaged amberol (ie one that is unplayable otherwise) might be warranted?

[diggr]

Apr 4, 2009 7:27:54 GMT -5 tarheeltinkerer said:

I had a thought this morning in the shower...there is a stuff called QuikSteel which is a type of epoxy putty I use on automotive work. They make a version specifically for adhesion to plastics and is white in color. I wonder if this stuff would work to fill in plaster gaps? There is no water involved, and it can be sanded/shaved after setting. It hardens in five minutes and I think has the usual "24 hours till fully cured" criteria. Thoughts anyone?

www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(wrydh045v0hhilbhva1egmjm)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=8201261

Perhaps an experiment on a heavily damaged amberol (ie one that is unplayable otherwise) might be warranted?

Was actually thinking about this yesterday during an 11 hour drive home for the weekend. I have several cylinder that fit in that catagory. As time permits I'll see what I can find out and report. If nothing else, we will have a real good idea of "what not to do". ;D

[maroongem]

I wonder if that material would be even more abrasive to the finish on the mandrel, especially the ones that were oxidized. I can see what the plaster has done to the oxidized mandrels on the machines I own.

[tarheeltinkerer]

Apr 4, 2009 10:36:00 GMT -5 diggr said:

Apr 4, 2009 7:27:54 GMT -5 tarheeltinkerer said:

I had a thought this morning in the shower...there is a stuff called QuikSteel which is a type of epoxy putty I use on automotive work. They make a version specifically for adhesion to plastics and is white in color. I wonder if this stuff would work to fill in plaster gaps? There is no water involved, and it can be sanded/shaved after setting. It hardens in five minutes and I think has the usual "24 hours till fully cured" criteria. Thoughts anyone?

www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(wrydh045v0hhilbhva1egmjm)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=8201261

Perhaps an experiment on a heavily damaged amberol (ie one that is unplayable otherwise) might be warranted?

Was actually thinking about this yesterday during an 11 hour drive home for the weekend. I have several cylinder that fit in that catagory. As time permits I'll see what I can find out and report. If nothing else, we will have a real good idea of "what not to do". ;D

Nice to know us truck guys think alike

As for mandrel wear, I don't know. Mine has so little of the original nickel finish left that I doubt it would make that much of a difference.