Speaking of Brown Wax...

[SonnyPhono]

I bid on this brown wax cylinder shortly after it was listed. Too bad I wasn't even close to winning it! : )

I hope someone from the board won this one. Hopefully it's properly packaged if it is shipped!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/280999850613?ss ... 1435.l2649

[Jerry B.]

Wowzers!

[Andersun]

Can anyone out there educate us on the significance of this cylinder? Was is a prototype? Or just very early? The core is very interesting!
Thanks!

[ImperialGuardsman]

I was just about to ask why in the world did it sell for so much.

[WDC]

This string core cylinder is quite a remarkable item. Its significance is mostly seen because of its early kind. To my knowledge, production of these was already stopped late 1889. These records have a slightly larger inner diameter than regular standard cylinders. The inner string was intended to give a better grip on the rubber covered mandrel on some early coin-ops.

However, the final price did really strike me, the record is literally rotten with no hopes whatsoever to make out what was originally recorded on it. I once had such an early cylinder on my electric cylinder player. I had to improvise to expand the mandrel by a few mm. After that it did play quite well.

The multiple cracks appear to be inevitable with these cylinders, likely caused by different coefficient of expansion and contraction of the string and the wax, a genuine collector's nightmare!

Interesting? Absolutely! Early? As early as it gets! But to me the worse condition is a real drawback. It's for display only.

[WDC]

edit: double post

[SonnyPhono]

From what I have read about them, these were called "String Core" cylinders and were some of the earliest cylinders made by North American. The spiral wound string core was an effort to make the cylinders less prone to breakage. However, judging from the fact that they were produced for a very short period of time and as a consequence are very rare today, I am guessing the string wasn't too effective. (Just a guess though.)

I am curious as to how often these surface for sale. I have been in the hobby for about 4 years and haven't seen one before this. Does anyone else have one, and if so, could you possibly post a picture with information about it on the board for educational purposes? It would be interesting to see others that may be out there hiding in collections.

The only cylinder record I can think of that would be of an earlier vintage would be the Bell Tainter cylinders made of ozocerite, (spelling?) that were longer but had a much smaller diameter.

[SonnyPhono]

For purpose of conserving the sale information, here are pictures from the auction as well as the selling price.


Ended: Oct 23, 2012 04:16:00 PDT
Winning bid: US $1,494.87

4

[m0xiemama]

Geez for that price you'd think they could throw in some free next day shipping or something. I wouldn't want that thing hanging out in the grips of the postal service any longer than it had to.

[edisonphonoworks]

This cylinder certainly dates from 1889, note the little spots that are a dark red, this cylinder is possibly from a batch that was not cooked long enough, that is acetic acid that came to the top of the wax, the record actually is not that moldy, what you see is chemical reactions in the wax. Also about this time purchasing agents at Edison Phonograph works did not get it, Aylsworth liked the brand MItchell's brand stearic acid, and his purchasing agents would sometimes purchase cheaper steariec, (Proctor and
Gamble brand). and it contained high levels of glycerin and olaic acids which cylinder wax can only have a certain amount and if it has more it turns into spots on the records or leaches out to form a fogy surface.. The string core cylinder there is an illustration of a mold that has inlets and outlets for cold water and steam and it says core, thread wound on page 69 of the Aylsworth experimental notebook. Now that just wants me to try to make a duplicate of the string core blank, but I am sure If I produced them it would cause distress in the collector community.....If the cylinder dates before june 1889 it would be made with formula 957 which has red olaic acid in the compound, and this causes a severe mildew effect, and the recording is ruined, if it is this formulation, the cylinder is extremely rare and most of the 957 formula cylinders were recalled They were made from December 1888- May of 1889. In fact the patent for the familiar spiral core used up until molded records was filed on August 10th, 1889 and issued November 12 1889, so the string core most likely make and educated guess that string core cylinders were made from January of 1889 to July of 1889. making the early production of these cylinders in the red olaic period, thus mad with bad wax. So this is super rare, and the price paid is warranted.