Are ordering wax cylinders online too risky?

[victorIIvictor]

that is a sad story, Jim.

Speaking as an "all talk and no action" consumer, I would request that the 4 M wax Amberol-only issues be reproduced on modern resin cylinders before the originals all self-destruct with a sickening "tink!"

Thanks to Norman Bruderhofer for rescuing Sophie Tucker's classic recording of "Some of These Days" in just this way.

Best wishes, Mark

[FloridaClay]

While I realize that in this regard I was probably very lucky, I have bought dozens of 2 minute wax cylinders on-line and don't recall any being broken in shipping. Of course as others have mentioned, the same does not go for wax Amberols (which I soon learned not to buy).

Clay

[alang]

I have received many broken wax cylinders by mail, so now I only buy BAs and Indestructible that way. The most frustrating part is Murphy's Law, the titles I like are always broken while the duds rarely break. I only buy wax cylinders from people who now how to properly pack them, but preferable I like to pick them up myself.

Andreas

[edisonplayer]

I generally buy wax cylinders locally or from someone that does excellent packing,like Kurt Nauck.edisonplayer

[NEFaurora]

A question yesterday was asked via e-mail: "Do wax cylinders wear out quickly??"

Well, First, You'd have to define "quickly"...

If you have a correct "Automatic" Reproducer to play them correctly for Brown Wax. They should last quite awhile easily before starting to wear. You can also use a Model B reproducer, but I personally do not know the wear characteristics of a Model "B" reproducer on Brown wax.

2M - 2 Minute Black wax is a much harder wax than Brown wax and the Black Wax will last a bit longer. Black wax should only be played with a Model "C" reproducer...but can also be played with a Model "B" and Automatic.

4M - 4 Minute Black Wax (Damberols as they are nicknamed) are of the very hardest Black Wax, even harder than 2 minute Black Wax cylinders. These are usually played with a Model "H" reproducer or any 4 Minute reproducer that has a Sapphire stylus instead of a Diamond Stylus. Never use a reproducer that has Diamond Stylus on these!!! The 4 Minute Black Wax "Damberols" are also known for "self destructing" in rapid temperature changes as well.

If you use the correct reproducer for each, They should be good for a few hundred plays at least..

All in all, Remember, It's Wax that you are dealing with. All wax cylinders ceased production at the beginning of 1912 with the exception of the Edison Business Phonograph and the Dictaphone. By then in 1912, Celluloid was king. Edison had been beaten at his own game (which was rare) by the Albany Indestructible Cylinder company which was using Lambert cylinder patents starting in 1900, but Lambert had marketing problems and it wasn't until 1907 when the Albany Indestructible Cylinder company started producing cylinders for 2 minute and 4 minute under Lambert's old patents that Edison got beat. Edison who had fought the patents in court for years finally capitulated and gave in and bought licensing for certain celluloid patents in 1911...so for 5 years from 1907 to 1912...Edison lost lots of cylinder record sales to companies such as Albany Indestructible Cylinder company (NY) which were sold under names such as Oxford (Sold by Sears Roebuck), Columbia, Federal, Indestructible, etc., and also other companies that also produced celluloid such as Lakeside Cylinder company (Sold by Montgomery Ward) and the U.S. Cylinder company. People back in 1907 were not stupid.. They already knew how fragile wax cylinders were since their inception of the 1890's, so when Newer, Better, stronger Unbreakable cylinders came along in 1907, people gravitated right towards them...especially since the Albany Indestructible Cylinder company successfully ripped off and used most of Edison's famous recording artists such as Billy Murray, Ada Jones, Len Spencer, Uncle Josh, etc. and reproduced the same songs, just on another cylinder format. Edison was furious and felt betrayed by his recording artists, and he was literally too cheap to spend the extra money to secure the sole rights of his recording artists to only produce for him, so they went to other companies to produce records such as Albany, and Columbia...and the rest as they say is history.

They (being people, consumers) knew then, what we know today. Celluloid rules. Edison was just so damn stubborn (as Edison was), probably because he invented the cylinder Phonograph that he refused to give in, but he eventually did in 1911.

With all that being said, It is "believed" that Brown wax provides a certain listening tone that cannot be achieved by Celluloid.

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

[pughphonos]

Always an interesting topic.

Ditto on it's all about the packing. Yes, always plan for the box to be dropped and/or subjected to hard force. The best route is to have a "box floating inside a box": that is, box/wrap items separately and then have those suspended in peanuts or something comparable that can ABSORB SHOCKS--inside the overall box.

As for wax cylinders, even they will usually survive the trip if wrapped/boxed as outlined above. But yes, temperature differentials will cause cracking, especially in the fragile 4m Amberols. I've been fortunate to have received several shipments of the latter (all well-packed) and they're in good shape.

There's a charm to the wax cylinders that you won't find in the Blue Amberols. After all, the black waxes reflect the music and performance styles of an earlier half-generation (ca. 1902-1912) as opposed to the Blue Amberols (ca. 1912-1922). Sounds like you're not set up for the waxes, though; you'd require a non-Amberola machine for those (plenty of good counsel available on this forum for when/if you take that step).

Ralph

[Wes K]

I bought a batch of BA's on ebay. One was split, and since the seller represented them as being split and crack free, got the seller to send another cylinder that they hadn't yet listed. When it arrived it wasn't a BA, but a 4M wax. It arrived in perfect shape and played fine too.
I would be willing to be that if I had actually been one of the records i had bid on, it would have arrive cracked!

[edisonplayer]

From what I hear in regards to how they handle packages makes me think of the old Samsonite Luggage commercial where a gorilla throws around a suitcase!edisonplayer