The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

What do you guys do when you have cylinders you can't read the titles? I have used white out, and a white crayon. They both work, but there should be an easier way. I have broken a couple 2 minute and 4 minute wax using the crayon because you tend to hold them to hard. What's the trick?

I use white liquid shoe polish. You brush it on, and wipe it off.
Harvey kravitz

I second the use of white shoe polish, it works great. The other thing that really helps in cleaning and re-whitening the title is an old, damage mandrel. I have a mandrel that is damaged and can't be used that I made into a cylinder holder. I bought a length of threaded rod, a couple of washers, some nuts and a wooden tool handle and made a mandrel "on a stick". I have not broken a wax record since I started using it rather than holding the record in my hand when cleaning.

Ron

pianolist wrote:I have a mandrel that is damaged and can't be used that I made into a cylinder holder. I bought a length of threaded rod, a couple of washers, some nuts and a wooden tool handle and made a mandrel "on a stick".

It's funny that you mention that because I had recently wondered about doing the exact same thing except that my application for the damaged mandrel would be to somehow affix removable sandpaper on the surface and use it as a sort of poor man's Blue Amberol cylinder reamer. You would think that with more than six thousand Blue Amberol cylinders in my collection that I would have purchased one of the many wooden cylinder reamers offered all over the place...and at reasonable prices - but nope - not me...never bought one in all these years. I can vividly recall back in the late 1980's going to a long time phonograph collector's place and mentioning my having trouble mounting some of the (especially) later Blue Amberols that had swelled plaster. He reached for one of his Blue Amberols with one hand and then reached into a nearby drawer with the other hand and retrieved an old steak knife . He then began spinning the cylinder in one hand while holding the knife blade against the plaster core and we both watched the plaster powder sift out and down onto the floor. "That's how you do it, Doug...works like charm...", he told me with a big grin. Mmmmm...not so much. I tried it on one of my cylinders after I got home that day and I ended up making it a little out of round. Never tried it again. Good old Doug Anderson...he sure was a great guy.

Doug

FellowCollector wrote:

pianolist wrote:I have a mandrel that is damaged and can't be used that I made into a cylinder holder. I bought a length of threaded rod, a couple of washers, some nuts and a wooden tool handle and made a mandrel "on a stick".

It's funny that you mention that because I had recently wondered about doing the exact same thing except that my application for the damaged mandrel would be to somehow affix removable sandpaper on the surface and use it as a sort of poor man's Blue Amberol cylinder reamer. You would think that with more than six thousand Blue Amberol cylinders in my collection that I would have purchased one of the many wooden cylinder reamers offered all over the place...and at reasonable prices - but nope - not me...never bought one in all these years. I can vividly recall back in the late 1980's going to a long time phonograph collector's place and mentioning my having trouble mounting some of the (especially) later Blue Amberols that had swelled plaster. He reached for one of his Blue Amberols with one hand and then reached into a nearby drawer with the other hand and retrieved an old steak knife . He then began spinning the cylinder in one hand while holding the knife blade against the plaster core and we both watched the plaster powder sift out and down onto the floor. "That's how you do it, Doug...works like charm...", he told me with a big grin. Mmmmm...not so much. I tried it on one of my cylinders after I got home that day and I ended up making it a little out of round. Never tried it again. Good old Doug Anderson...he sure was a great guy.

Doug

I did that exact thing many years ago with an old mandrel. It worked for many years until I finally broke down and bought one. The one thing I can say is to keep the old plaster. I have kept all that stuff from split cylinders and such. Then when you need some, mix it in and it will look old. I once saw a guy going through cylinders and he was throwing the bad ones in the floor and stomping them. He had The Night Before Christmas in his hand and was about to do it again. I gave him a dollar for it. I had it fixed in 30 minutes, and it was perfect. Sold it on auction for 200.00. Live and learn.