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Post by cjhayesphd1 on Mar 25, 2011 8:35:11 GMT -5
I am a new owner of a beautiful Edison cylinder phonograph. I purchased this from an auction online, and it came with 20 cylinders! However, I took out the first cylinder and, when attempting to put it on the roll, it simply shattered into a dozen pieces! I don't want to attempt any others until I find out if there is something that I need to do to the cylinders so that they go on the roll easier and not break. Thank you all for your help with this! As a newbie, I want to make sure I do everything correctly.
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Post by gibsonj on Mar 25, 2011 11:05:00 GMT -5
Well, you didn't specify which cylinder machine you have, but I am assuming it must be an earlier 2 minute machine for Gold Molded cylinders, or a later 4 minute machine for Black wax Amberol cylinders.
The early 2 minute Gold Molded cylinders were manufactured with organic materials, which made them susceptible to the attraction and growth of mold. The mold actually consumes the wax, leading ultimately to the cylinder becoming non-playable. Humidity control, or lack of, was the primary culprit.
The 4 minute Amberols are notorious for breakage as you describe. I have found them sensitive to temperature changes, so its important to acclimate them to room temperature. If there are any hairline cracks, then pressing them too firmly on the mandrel will often cause them to split and break into multiple pieces. Obviously, this black wax type will not accept much of a shock, so dropping one can typically introduce cracks that might not be immediately noticeable, and will get progressively worse, and ultimately, end up as you describe your experiences.
The Blue Amberol 4 minute cylinders are an early celluloid successor to the black wax cylinders, and were marketed to be of superior strength and longevity. The Blue Amberols have a plaster core around which the celluloid was formed. However, the inconsistencies with temperature and humidity over the years caused the plaster core of many Blue Amberols to expand, which resulted in cracks in the celluloid. I have arrested such cracks to prevent them from spreading into the record grooves and affecting play, by drilling a small hole at the end of the crack, which stops its progression. Sometimes, the plaster core swells to the point that a cylinder cannot be placed far enough on the mandrel for play. To address this problem, a cylinder reamer is available from many phonograph supply houses to "re-size" the plaster core to the appropriate size and taper.
Hope this helps.
John
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Post by phonogfp on Mar 25, 2011 11:33:21 GMT -5
And a simple rule of thumb for a newbie: the blank end goes on FIRST, end of the cylinder with the title slides on LAST.
George P.
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Post by maroongem on Mar 26, 2011 0:10:54 GMT -5
And a simple rule of thumb for a newbie: the blank end goes on FIRST, end of the cylinder with the title slides on LAST. George P. Which of course can be problematic if they have a pre 1902 non-titled end cylinder, be it brown or black. Bill |
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Post by maroongem on Mar 26, 2011 0:23:35 GMT -5
cjhayesphd1 (that's a mouthful) Congrats on your new Edison and welcome to this board.
One thing that wasn't mentioned previously is that the last 2M Edison cylinders were made of the same material as the 4M Amberols that gibsonj mentioned and are just as fragile. You can usually tell by the way the non-titled end looks, Earlier 2M cylinders have a smooth radius on the non-titled end and the last ones made from the same material as the 4M Amberols have a pronounced seam from the mold on the aforementioned area.
Bill
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Post by phonogfp on Mar 26, 2011 10:20:40 GMT -5
And a simple rule of thumb for a newbie: the blank end goes on FIRST, end of the cylinder with the title slides on LAST. George P. Which of course can be problematic if they have a pre 1902 non-titled end cylinder, be it brown or black. Bill Good point - I should have thought of that possibility. Edison cylinders weren't provided with titles on the ends until July 1904. George P. |
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Post by keywindgem on Apr 17, 2011 0:00:59 GMT -5
On just acquiring my father's phonograph and cylinder collection, I too broke a few cylinders. On looking very closely I noticed hair line cracks in the cylinders. I used epoxy compound and coated the inside of the cylinders to strengthen them. They seem fine now. I have many Amberola cylinders and the few early wax cylinders that I have I treasure. Just thought I would pass my tips along.
Make sure you only get epoxy on the lower ribs and not on the raised ribs of the inside of the cylinder otherwise it will not slide on mandrel.
Peter
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