Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Share your phonograph repair & restoration techniques here
Post Reply
max_phenol
Victor I
Posts: 100
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 11:05 am

Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Post by max_phenol »

Hi,

I am seeking a glue for a black wax cylinder (Gold Moulded or Wax Amberol). I know ... it won't be playable again, and I don't care. It just has to be in one piece again to look slightly better than a dozen different sized pieces on the bottom of a cylinder record box. ;-)

I have tried superglue and 2 component epoxyd glue. Both don't work well. The pieces hold together well in the beginning, but after the glue is hardened, they can be seperated again easily.

Has anyone experiences with a glue that works much better than this?

I know that the Michael, the "cylinder doctor", can repair any cylinder very well. And I asked him for help with a broken rare brown wax a while ago. But this time I have a few "ordinary" cylinders that are not worth much at all, even if they were in great condition. So, the professional repair would cost several times more than the actual value of the record.

Has anyone a good advice?

Cheers
Helmut

estott
Victor Monarch
Posts: 4175
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:23 pm
Personal Text: I have good days...this might not be one of them
Location: Albany NY

Re: Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Post by estott »

If all you want is a cosmetic fix have you tried rubber cement or ordinary white glue.

need4art
Victor II
Posts: 456
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:46 pm
Personal Text: A man is not a man who does not make the world a better place
Location: Arizona

Re: Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Post by need4art »

I have used Gorilla glue on 6 wax cylinders with great results and used dental wax as filler-4 or 5 plays each and they are still together. You need a smooth clean break.
Abe

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6830
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Post by Curt A »

I cemented one back together with WeldBond Glue. It is a universal adhesive, which is water soluble until dry. The advantage is that you can glue the pieces together and wipe off the excess with a wet or damp paper towel. This also works very well to fix cracked shellac records. Squeeze the glue into the crack, wipe off the excess, wait 24 hrs and the record is as solid as new and playable if you line it up correctly and let it dry flat, preferably on a piece of glass... Also, with the wax cylinders, once you initially get them glued together you can take a small soldering iron with a fine tip and "weld" the cracks together from the inside for a permanent fix. If you don't have a soldering iron, just heat a metal pick or even a paper clip (hold it with vise grips to avoid burning yourself) and weld it the same way from the inside... just move the heated metal in a zig-zag pattern over the cracks and the wax will melt back together.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

User avatar
Curt A
Victor Monarch Special
Posts: 6830
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:32 pm
Personal Text: Needle Tins are Addictive
Location: Belmont, North Carolina

Re: Seeking glue for black wax cylinder

Post by Curt A »

You can get WeldBond glue at Michaels craft store or online.
"The phonograph† is not of any commercial value."
Thomas Alva Edison - Comment to his assistant, Samuel Insull.

"No one needs a Victrola XX, a Perfected Graphophone Type G, or whatever you call those noisy things."
My Wife

Post Reply