The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I am in search of Edison cylinder recorder bodies for experimentation. Like most others the majority of the recorders I own are missing styli thanks to the nature of the original stylus holder adhesive however I have some ideas I'd like to test out and figure it wouldn't hurt to have more recorder bodies on hand to play around with.

Please feel welcome to send a message if you might have some recorder bodies available for purchase.


-Jake

Hi Jake,

That's right, there are lots of recorder hulks
out there missing the cutter and cutter holder.

Sometimes they have diaphragms, sometimes not.
Once in a while some of these come along that have diaphragms and gaskets which can be cleaned up and reused.

Keep checking ebay. I got my last bunch of them a few years ago. They were offered as a set of (3) and I paid $10 for it.

Keep asking around and looking for them at shows.

With a little beeswax, some stratena glue,
maybe a new gasket or two, some new sapphire
cupped-point cutters, and of course a very
large helping of extreme patience to fabricate
the cutter holder out of thin aluminum or
copper sheet...and you are all set.

The best lesson I can pass along to anyone
is this: The use of reversible adhesives
makes it possible to take them apart painlessly for fine adjustments. Stratena glue is
reversible. Soak in water for 20 minutes
and the gelatin dissolves, releasing the parts.

Beeswax is reversible too, just warm it up
and get it out of there, and then the residual
stuff comes off easily with a Q-tip soaked
in lighter fluid, or gasoline.

For the final cleanup before gluing, I always
use denatured alcohol, although acetone is
recommended by the fellow who makes the
stratena.

Modern adhesives are NOT reversible.
Once a recorder is glued together with those
it is darn near impossible to ever get it apart
again to change anything without risking
wrecking the whole works.

Beeswax and Stratena are two things which make
assembly of the later style Edison home
recorders both fun and enjoyable.

The end result can be a recorder which will surprise everyone with its loudness and clarity.

Chuck

Here's one to watch:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-EDISON- ... 1c3a68cd02

Check your p.m. I have two you can have for simple thank you. Gerard

I have a spare but there is no stylus and no inner part see pucture below.
I paid 50.00 for it asking the same it's a parts only unit sold As-Is