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John Levin had a few at the Union Show last year and they were not cheap.

Rich Gordon

how very cool...

Ebonoid Cylinders were issued by Premier Manufacturing Company who made Clarion Records in the UK.

They were advertised as being "5-Minute Cylinders" in response to Edison's 4-minute wax Amberols. The additional, claimed, playing time is due to the cylinders being slightly longer at 4.5 inches, than the standard cylinder length. The records initially sold in the UK for 1/3d., as opposed to wax Amberols at 1/6d. and were sold in beautifully decorated boxes as were all the Clarion Records at this time

Only about 20 titles were issued, the first 10 titles were advertised in April 1909, although these and the other 10 or so titles would have remained available for many years after that. In common with most Clarion cylinders however, they are susceptible to mould so to find a batch in good playable condition is a rare find indeed.

Congratulations on your find.

Regards

Tim W-W

A history of The Clarion Record Co Ltd by the late Frank Andrews is available as No.20 in the CLPGS Reference Series. It covers the Ebonoid cylinders and even includes a CD.

epigramophone wrote:A history of The Clarion Record Co Ltd by the late Frank Andrews is available as No.20 in the CLPGS Reference Series. It covers the Ebonoid cylinders and even includes a CD.

From the "Phono Trader & Recorder" - reproduced in CLPGS

The latest development in the cylinder record trade is certainly the most wonderful. We speak of the 200-thread records, as it is called. Of course there is nothing remarkable in engraving a 200-to-the-inch thread, per se, but that such a fine channel or groove should contain the series of hills and dales which make up the impressions of recorded sounds can only be described as marvelous.

The new record is to be known as the Ebonoid, and it will be on sale by all Clarion dealers in the course of the next few weeks. As our readers will be aware, the Clarion record which bears the standard thread, 100 turns to the inch - is as long as the length of the mandrel will permit, and played at a speed of 160 rpm gives a reproduction lasting for about 2 minutes 20 seconds. Now the new Ebonoid cylinder is the same length as the Clarion, and with 200 threads the reproduction lasts for nearly five minutes. By this means, many, if not most, songs may be rendered in their entirety, band selections, without cuts, and a goodly portion of overtures included.

As Epigramophone says, for anyone interested in the history of this fascinating little company (they carried on manufacturing and selling 2-minute wax cylinders well into the mid- 1920s)the late Frank Andrews' history is available as part of the CLPGS Reference Series (No.20) for a very reasonable £6.00 or £5.00 for CLPGS members including postage to anywhere in the world.

See:
http://www.clpgs.org.uk/reference-series.html

The booklet also includes a CD of Clarion cylinders including two Ebonoids

Regards

Tim W-W

I am rather surprised those records would not have fetched at least $100 apiece, particularly due to the records' fine condition. I paid that much for a White cylinder in its original carton. I think I once saw some square boxes in Union before, but they are certainly rare in the States.

What machines in Europe could have played 4M wax, besides imported Edisons?

A British made Edison Bell fitted with a suitable attachment.

VintageTechnologies wrote: What machines in Europe could have played 4M wax, besides imported Edisons?

Clarion produced their own conversion kits for Edison Standards and Gems including new gearing and "a simple and effective stylus that will reproduce either standard or Ebonoid records" - Phono Trader and Recorder 1909

I've never seen a Clarion conversion kit, so I've no idea what it looks like

All the best

Tim W-W

I've got a Ebonoid conversion kit for an Edison Standard, to enable it to play the Ebonoid 5 minute records. I'll dig it out and upload a photo in due course. The Ebonoid conversion kits are pretty rare and don't surface very often. The " simple and effective stylus that will reproduce either standard or Ebonoid records " as mentioned by Wagnerian is actually most ingenious. The phonograph owner was required to remove the existing stylus bar from his Edison Model C reproducer and substitute a new stylus bar that was included in the Ebonoid kit. The bar incorporates a flip-over stylus operated by a tiny lever , presenting to the record surface the chosen " tip " of the sapphire which is elliptical in shape. The way the flip -over part functions is much like electrical cartridges of the 1960's and 70's ! Dulcetto