Wax amberol question

Discussions on Records, Recording, & Artists
Post Reply
GrafonolaG50
Victor II
Posts: 320
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2013 6:20 pm
Location: Winfield,Mo
Contact:

Wax amberol question

Post by GrafonolaG50 »

There were 20 wax amberols in with this lot of cylinders I recently got. How unstable/ fragile are these records. Can I play them without any special precautions, or should I treat them as if they were egg shells and leave them on the shelf. I do not want more of these fragile cylinders to be lost to time if I can do anything to keep them safe.

User avatar
NEFaurora
Victor IV
Posts: 1201
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:02 pm
Personal Text: "A Phonograph in every home..."
Location: Melbourne, FL (Former New Yorker!)

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by NEFaurora »

1908 to 1912 Edison Black Wax 4 Minute Amberols or "Damberols" as they were appropriately nicknamed in their day do NOT do well in really hot or really cold environments and literally crumble with huge temperature swings. They are made of a much more harder, more brittle metallic wax than the much softer earlier Edison 2 Minute Black Wax cylinders.

Caring for them is to keep them in their Original Green and White "padded" cylinder cylindrical box or to keep them in earlier Edison 2 Minute "padded" cylinder cylindrical box if the Original Green and White boxes are not available. Bottom line is that they need to be in a "padded' box. They should be stored between 65 degrees and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. They are to ONLY be played with a Reproducer that has a Sapphire ONLY Stylus such as a Model "H" Reproducer. NEVER try playing them with a Amberola Diamond tipped Reproducer such as a Diamond A, B, Or C Reproducer like on an Amberola 30/50/75 machines.

They are very brittle and fragile cylinders from new, and adding 100+ years does not make them any stronger. Playing them will always be a risk, so unless you want to risk it, keep them on the shelf, and listen to the song off of the UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive website. That's my suggestion...but to each his own.

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

:0)

GrafonolaG50
Victor II
Posts: 320
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2013 6:20 pm
Location: Winfield,Mo
Contact:

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by GrafonolaG50 »

Thank you for the information. All I have for 4 minute cylinders is a Standard witg 2/4 gearing and respective reproducers. All somehow have matching boxes with lids. They are currently being kept in a strong wooden ammo crate to keep anything from coming into contact with them.

User avatar
coyote
Victor II
Posts: 453
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:41 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by coyote »

Besides the precautions already listed, it is also advisable not to hold them too long. Just the heat from your fingers inside them is sometimes enough to cause a crack/split.

The other (probably largest) stress to 4-min black Amberols is placing them on the mandrel. Even with the mandrel and record at the same temperature, the stress of the record "gripping" the mandrel is great. If one is used to cylinders with a core (Blue Amberols or Indestructibles) which can be firmly pushed on the mandrel to seat them, it is easy to crack or shatter a black Amberol or even a Gold Moulded cylinder. The utmost care should be used in mounting one on the mandrel, gently pushing so that it will ONLY JUST stay without slipping while playing.

Jerry B.
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 8511
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 11:25 am
Personal Text: Stop for a visit when in Oregon.
Location: Albany, Oregon

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by Jerry B. »

Despite their shortcomings I listened to authorities say that many of the finest cylinder recordings are found on four minute wax.

Jerry B.

HisMastersVoice
Auxetophone
Posts: 2587
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:01 am

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by HisMastersVoice »

Also, if you receive any in the mail, especially in the winter...wait until the next day to open the box or else you'll be making wax popcorn. Same goes for summer weather into an air conditioned home. And if the machine you're playing the record on is in another room, leave the record in the same room for a while before putting it on the mandrel. They are great recordings, but I don't usually bother with them.

edisonplayer
Victor IV
Posts: 1560
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:33 pm

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by edisonplayer »

I treat them like eggshells. I have put the Amberols I have on cassette tape.My friend Arthur Pare told me that he didn't have any problem with them back in the '70's.In 40 odd years the wax has gotten more brittle.edisonplayer

vansteem78
Victor II
Posts: 239
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 5:50 pm

Re: Wax amberol question

Post by vansteem78 »

I have a fair number of the two and four minute 'wax' cylinders. Yes be gentle. I found out not to push to hard on to the mandrel. I ended up with a crack all the way across that way. So a lessen learned. Gentle.

Post Reply