Best way to store brown wax cylinders

[phonogal]

There were 2 brown wax cylinders in a lot of cylinders that I recently received. They came in boxes wrapped in cotton batting. I don't have the right kind of reproducer to play these. So for now, I just need to keep them from damage. One is Funeral services over President McKinley and the other is Bugler's dream. They seem to have some of the cotton fibers? stuck to the wax (mostly to the smooth end). What is the best way to store these and is there any way to clean them without causing damage?

[edisonplayer]

I have some Columbia brown wax that I bought from Jerry Donnell in 2012.They're in a storage box on pegs.edisonplayer

[edisonplayer]

I have some Columbia brown wax that I bought from Jerry Donnell in 2012.They're in a storage box on pegs.edisonplayer

[VintageTechnologies]

Do not attempt to clean them beyond wiping the rim with a soft cloth. Especially do not touch the grooves. Do not attempt to wash them!!! The cotton batting or liners can hold moisture and mold spores. Some of the early cartons had a cardboard peg, that is what I would use. Mold thrives where it is dark, damp and hot. Air out your cartons and expose their interior to sunlight to disinfect. Store records in an air conditionrd room.

[rgordon939]

Here are the instructions for using Labtone to clean cylinders. When rinsing the cylinders after cleaning make sure to use deionized water. Regular water or even distiller water all contain minerals that will be re deposited on the cylinder, that is why deionized water is recommended.

The technique was 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).

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.

Rich Gordon

[phonogal]

Thanks everyone for all the information. I will take them out of the original boxes and put them in boxes with the center core.

[VintageTechnologies]

When I first started collecting, I tried washing some cylinders using cold tap water. Two brown cylinders cracked - I'm not sure whether a chemical reaction to the water or else too much expansion due to excessive temperature differential (not that it was all that great). A couple of black cylinders looked more gray after washing them with mild soap. I quickly gave up on the idea.

Mold eats away at the wax leaving it pitted. Washing will do nothing to cure that. Simply playing the record will knock off any light grime or oxidation, probably with less harm than trying to clean them.

The LabTone cleaner might work okay if the records don't crack the way they did when I tried washing them.

[rgordon939]

The reason your cylinders cracked is because of the "cold" water. You will see in the instructions for using Labtone that the deionized water must be at a tepid tempature, not cold not hot. Mold does eat away brown wax and Labtone will not repair this. It will only help remove dirt and grime that may be on the cylinders. Sometimes you see brown wax cylinders that have haze on them, Labtone will usually remove this. I have cleaned many cylinders and found this product to be very good.

Rich Gordon