The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

hello, folks,

I was wondering what best practices were for the long term storage of wooden phonograph cabinets. Presently I am short on space and time in my apartment, and will probably not be getting around to giving my antique phonographs any further extension for at least 2 years. The cabinets are for a Edison Amberola III in mahogany and a Puritan Baroque in Oak (that's the cabinet with the 4 curved sides).

I have a storage space in a concrete, multi story building in the East Bay of San Francisco, California, and my space is in the center of the building, created within the floor plan with wooden walls. There is no temperature control, but I keep the largest Damp Rid buckets in the storage space to absorb excess moisture, and seemed to need to replace it about once a year. I store 78 RPM records there on wooden shelves, and haven't seen any degradation with those. The location is in Berkeley, California. Were I to store these cabinets there, they would be on plastic furniture glides to protect him from the concrete floor. I have read posts on this forum about wood boring insects destroying phonograph cabinets, but I've never heard of these insects causing damage in these climes.

Can anyone offer advice on whether storing these cabinets in such a location is a bad idea, or if there are precautions I should take? Secondly, if storage is a good idea, should the cabinets be covered in bed sheets or furniture blankets for protection, or should they be "unwrapped" and allowed to "breathe"? Finally, should I keep the Amberola III's metal horn, with its delicate paint job, in the apartment (I'd rather keep it inside the cabinet for safety, of course)?
Thanks in advance for the help.

Best wishes, Mark

I would check out the relative humidity in your storage space, and if it's between 30% - 60%, that's okay. Of course, this may change depending upon season, but not living in San Francisco, I don't know. In any event, if you decide to store your machines there, I would monitor the humidity throughout the year.

You mention that the space is not temperature controlled, but that's not necessarily the kiss of death. The enemy of old paint and wood finishes is 1) extreme and 2) rapid changes in temperature. If my memory serves, the Library of Congress recommends no more than a 20-degree (F) change of temperature within a 24-hour period. For that reason, I would wrap the machines in a blanket or other semi-breathable sheath (no plastic or tarps). You could even double-up on the blankets to help keep the temperature changes as slow and gradual as possible. However, if the temperature should ever exceed approx. 115 degrees (F), I would not use this space as phonograph storage - - with or without blankets. You don't want the finishes to soften and blanket fibers to stick to them.

In short, your answer lies with monitoring relative humidity and temperature to see if either would present any danger to your cabinets. Good luck!

George P.

thank you for this helpful post, George. I will look into some sort of device that tracks humidity. The storage space is usually cool, even on hot days outside, and I have safely stored 78 RPM records there for the last five years. Thanks for the tip on keeping the Cabinets wrapped… I had thought that might be helpful, but Not for the reason you stated (I was thinking of keeping them free of dust).

Best wishes, Mark

Mark,

I bought a "Digital Thermo-Hygro" at Radio Shack 12-14 years ago for around ten dollars. (This is Cat. No. 63-1013. There's probably a newer model available now.) It has a memory so you can track swings in temperature & relative humidity. This one's still on its original batteries!

George P.

thanks for the Hygrometer suggestion, George. alas, Radio Shack is not what used to be… They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February of this year, and I guess I'd better pay more attention to the business pages. Dropping by my local one was a sad experience; they are now co-tenants with Sprint, another struggling company. Sotake good care of yours!

But I have a lead on a hygrometer from another source, so thank you for the tip!

Best wishes, Mark