Newbe Needs more help - record questions

[Bobm90]

Here I am again with more questions, I have learned some stuff since my last visit here but as I may always have questions I have a few more to ask of you experienced guys. I have purchased some 2 minute Edison cylinder records for my 1901 Graphophone, some of these have mold issues (which I knew before I bought them), 1. Can the mold be safely removed? 2. Would the record groove be or could it be forever effected? 3. Can I damage the reproducer trying to play these records? My next question involves my Edison Home model D, it has a model C reproducer, can I switch to 4 min. speed and play 4 min. cylinders or do I have to get a Model H reproducer to do this and then would I only be able to play 4 min. records without switching back to the model C reproducer? It seems like the more I figure out about these machines the more confused I get, thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.

[JerryVan]

1. No
2. Yes, the grooves will be forever damaged. It's like rust pitting.
3. Probably not
4. You need an H reproducer to play 4 min. records. A "C" will not do it. I have played 2 min. cylinders with an "H" reproducer, it sounded o.k., but it probably shouldn't be done.

[phonogfp]

Jerry beat me to it, but we're in agreement...

Here I am again with more questions, I have learned some stuff since my last visit here but as I may always have questions I have a few more to ask of you experienced guys. I have purchased some 2 minute Edison cylinder records for my 1901 Graphophone, some of these have mold issues (which I knew before I bought them), 1. Can the mold be safely removed? 2. Would the record groove be or could it be forever effected? 3. Can I damage the reproducer trying to play these records? My next question involves my Edison Home model D, it has a model C reproducer, can I switch to 4 min. speed and play 4 min. cylinders or do I have to get a Model H reproducer to do this and then would I only be able to play 4 min. records without switching back to the model C reproducer? It seems like the more I figure out about these machines the more confused I get, thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.

Hi Bob,

It's always a good idea to ask questions when in doubt. Some of us have been collecting for over 50 years, and we still have questions too.

1) "Can the mold be safely removed?" Yes, but...

2) "Would the record groove be...forever affected?" Yes. The mold is a plant, and survives on the wax, consuming it. Black wax is usually ruined when covered in mold. Brown wax sometimes looks awful, but careful cleaning with lots of soft, clean cotton rags can sometimes result in a playable record.

3) "Can I damage the reproducer trying to play these records?" Mold won't damage the stylus, but pits, cracks, and splits can if they're bad enough.

4) The width of the groove in a 4-minute cylinder is one-half that of a 2-minute cylinder. The stylus of a 2-minute reproducer cannot fit all the way into the groove of a 4-minute cylinder. That's why different types of reproducers were developed, and why we still need them. (You may be advised by a few folks that you don't need to use certain reproducers the way they were originally intended. Just remember that the tip of a 4-minute stylus is (like the groove) one-half the size of a 2-minute stylus, thus focusing all the weight on only half the area. Just keep that in mind, and remember that Thomas Edison, Thomas Macdonald, Peter Weber, Edward Aiken, John Constable, and other engineers of the time knew what they were doing.)

Here's a helpful article:

http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/

George P.

[Bobm90]

Thank You, gentlemen, for the responses, I copied the article, it looks great and I will save it for future reference and information, it seems like I have purchased some worthless wax but that's how I will learn, stay well thanks again.

[phonogfp]

You're very welcome, Bob. We've all purchased some worthless wax in our time.

George P.