Wax Cylinder cleaning / preservation - How?

[berntd]

Hello

I am looking for a method to clean / kill / remove some of the mould from the black and brown wax cylinders.

If this has all been discussed before, cane someone please direct me to the discussions / threads? I can't find it with the search function.


I am totally new to cylinders. I have 15 of them and most have got some form of mould on them.
Some are brownish and some are black.

I read that folks use Laptone to clean the cylinders but I can't find that stuff here in Australia.

I am wondering if I can use something else like maybe a solution with vingear or something?

Best regards
Bernt

[52089]

I'd suggest you look at the links in the following thread:
http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =7&t=10913

Labtone is available in small quantities on ebay. I'm sure Rich would be delighted to send some to Australia as long as you paid the appropriate postage.

[gramophoneshane]

Apparently using a good quality detergent will clean just as well, and adding some "photo flow" (used for devoloping film) to the rinse water will give the same results as labtone.

[berntd]

Hello

Thanks for the reply, Shane!
I will investigate that developing chemical. I hope that is even still available since film seems to have gone out the door as well

I have a mold problem here in our house because of the moisture in the air. Our furniture gets that dusty look sometimes and we then clean it all off with vinegar and then it is gone for quite some time again.

I am wondering if a vingear / water solution might be able to kill the mold / fungus on these records?

The question is really whether beeswax or whatever they used is affected by vinegar / acid.

My guess is no but maybe there are other components in there that might be?

Dunno. Somehow I kind of expected that this topic has been covered at nauseum over the years. Apparenlty not!


Best regards
Bernt

[dd2u]

I have a mold problem here in our house because of the moisture in the air. Our furniture gets that dusty look sometimes and we then clean it all off with vinegar and then it is gone for quite some time again.

If it is a struggle to keep your furniture mould-free, then maybe you should not even try to collect wax cylinders. Blue Amberols and indestructables would make life far easier.

Would a dehumidifier help?

[gramophoneshane]

Bernt,
I'm not aware of anything that will kill the mold once it's started.
Actually, I'm not even sure it is strictly a mold as such. I've tried all sorts of stuff on cylinders over the years, including Exit Mold for showers, and even that has had no effect.
I've have had limited success spraying them with Glen 20, but being in a pressure pack it comes out cold, so you have to be careful because the sudden drop in temperature can cause the cylinder to crack.
But whether it's a mold, a fungus or something else, it doesn't actually grow on the surface of the cylinder, but it eats away the animal fats that are in the wax composition, leaving pits in the surface and basically removes the surface of the cylinder that holds the recording.
So probably the best any of us can hope for is to find something that will stop the damage from getting any worse.
You can buy reproduction 2 minute cylinders that are moulded in plastic, so they never go moldy & will last indefinately, but they aren't cheap.
These are available direct from Vulcan Records in the UK, or you can get them from Marcel in Sydney too.
I've bought a couple & am extremely happy with them as they sound every bit as good as an original.

http://www.phonographcylinders.com/

http://www.gypsyleather.com.au/records_cylin.html

[berntd]

Bernt,
I'm not aware of anything that will kill the mold once it's started.
Actually, I'm not even sure it is strictly a mold as such. I've tried all sorts of stuff on cylinders over the years, including Exit Mold for showers, and even that has had no effect.
I've have had limited success spraying them with Glen 20, but being in a pressure pack it comes out cold, so you have to be careful because the sudden drop in temperature can cause the cylinder to crack.
But whether it's a mold, a fungus or something else, it doesn't actually grow on the surface of the cylinder, but it eats away the animal fats that are in the wax composition, leaving pits in the surface and basically removes the surface of the cylinder that holds the recording.
So probably the best any of us can hope for is to find something that will stop the damage from getting any worse.
You can buy reproduction 2 minute cylinders that are moulded in plastic, so they never go moldy & will last indefinately, but they aren't cheap.
These are available direct from Vulcan Records in the UK, or you can get them from Marcel in Sydney too.
I've bought a couple & am extremely happy with them as they sound every bit as good as an original.

http://www.phonographcylinders.com/

http://www.gypsyleather.com.au/records_cylin.html

Hi Shane, group

I will definietley get just a few new cylinders once I have the machine going.
It is just a novelty item and will only get shown, used every so often so a couple of new cylinders will be just fine.

For the moment, I will just try to stop/slow down the fungus / mold progression.

@dd2u:
This mold is a common problem here where we are in Asutralia. We can control it but not eliminate it. It is the humid, tropical weird weather. SOmetimes it will just suddenly occure. The mold is like a fine sticky mist/powder.

Best regards
Bernt

[estott]

The deterioration of cylinder records is often called Mildew or Mold. but I think that berntd may have actual fungal mold.