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Re: How long does it take for a Cylinder to Wear Out?
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 10:58 pm
by Edisone
Keep playing it as long as it makes you happy; when it wears out, look for another copy - or look for another copy right now.
Re: How long does it take for a Cylinder to Wear Out?
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 6:55 pm
by orpington
phonogfp wrote:I have a test cylinder in the shop that I kept for checking reproducer rebuilds and coin-op return adjustments. It's an Edison 2m cylinder titled,
Captain Baby Bunting by Byron G. Harlan. I kept it as a test cylinder because (1) it had a couple of rough spots (clusters of TINY pits that didn't affect tracking), and (2)I found the verses pretty annoying. The chorus is fine (march time), but those verses are as sticky saccharine as you'd ever want to hear.
It was a mistake to choose this cylinder as a test. Someday when I'm strapped into my wheelchair, drooling into my Malt-O-Meal, I'll be singing
Captain Baby Bunting at the top of my voice, simultaneously cursing the inane lyrics, and attempting to choke myself so I won't hear it anymore.
But to the point at hand, this cylinder from hell has been played at least a couple hundred times in my shop. The peppy march time choruses are loud, and the grooves are now visually worn. When played, there's a lot of blasting. 15 years ago this cylinder was a good-playing copy (except for those rough spots).
Of course, the awful verses still play fine.
The advice to digitally record is a good one. But not this title...
George P.
I just listened to Captain Baby Bunting and I didn't find it that bad or annoying. Then again, I am nearly deaf in my left ear and this could be part of the problem???
Re: How long does it take for a Cylinder to Wear Out?
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:47 pm
by phonogfp
Problem? In the case of
Captain Baby Bunting, that's a blessing!
Listen to it 25 times in a day and see what you think.
George P.
Re: How long does it take for a Cylinder to Wear Out?
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 1:18 pm
by Victrolacollector
Like it was pointed out here, if conditions are right and your stylus is good, you should get hundreds of plays from a gold molded cylinder. I have played cylinders hundreds of times before noticing wear. One of the big problems to consider is that I don't recommend playing a gold molded or a brown wax cylinder with a heavy tension spring such as the Columbia Lyric, they will chew up a wax cylinder quicker than a floating weight reproducer.
As far as making resin copies, I have not totally mastered that. I would say get in contact with Rob over at Edisonia, he makes great resin copies from cylinders.
Re: How long does it take for a Cylinder to Wear Out?
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:52 pm
by Roaring20s
Edisone wrote:Keep playing it as long as it makes you happy; when it wears out, look for another copy - or look for another copy right now.
Agreed as long as its not a ultra rare recording. If it is, then make a copy to hear again and again.
As far as the aforementioned title goes, Mr Owl wouldn't even let the sentence finish! 
- Screen Shot 2015-12-13 at 12.17.33 PM.png (267.67 KiB) Viewed 590 times
If American tv commercial pop culture doesn't ring true, then perhaps for some of you sci-fi folk the answer is 42, that is if the question was even about this.
Either way... the world may never know.
James.