The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

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

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

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

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.

You can get WeldBond glue at Michaels craft store or online.