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We had house guests over the Thanksgiving weekend, and one of them went out antique hunting and brought home an Amberol cylinder recording of "On the New York, New Haven, and Hartford" as a thank you gift for me. I was happily surprised, but the very second I put it on the mandrel the record broke lengthwise into two equal halves and fell down . Did some kind of sudden temperature change cause this? Has anything like this happened to someone else out there? It's the first time it has happened to me. I kept the cylinder and the case as a memory of their visit, but it's unplayable now.

If it is the black amberol, it is probably the combination of temperature change when it touched the metal and pressure to push it through the mandrel. This cylinder was made of an extremely brittle mix, the reason why Edison replaced it with the more expensive to make but more resistant blue amberol. I had one cracking in my hand when I tried to wipe it with a moist q-tip.

Yes, it was the black Amberol. It broke with absolutely no resistance at all. I just feel bad that I had a hand in destroying something that had lasted such a long time, 'til I came along...

bbphonoguy wrote:Yes, it was the black Amberol. It broke with absolutely no resistance at all. I just feel bad that I had a hand in destroying something that had lasted such a long time, 'til I came along...

Don't feel too guilty- they can break if you look at them too hard

Also happened to me

I suppose this needs to be reposted!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxGWENAv_oA

Yep! and thats why I avoid them. I do keep a few of the green boxes as its nice to show examples, but as far as the cylinders way too fragile.

Also, as I have said many times, not very much of the material made it over to the Blue Amberols, and not many are making reproductions of any of the titles. We are all awaiting Some of these Days by Sophia Tucker.

I quit buying the wax Amberols for this same reason and I am not too fond of black wax 2 minute cylinders either...

While it's fact that the Edison 4 minute wax Amberol cylinders are extremely fragile in this instance it's likely that the cylinder had a nearly invisible preexisting hairline crack that finished its course with the slightest bit of pressure from the mandrel mounting / spinning process. It's possible that cylinder temperature versus mandrel temperature was a factor but I doubt it in this case. I have hundreds of Edison 4 minute wax Amberols and it's always a crapshoot before playing when I know beforehand that it has a tiny edge hairline. But if I'm extremely gentle with mounting it and assure the mandrel and cylinder temperatures are roughly the same, in most instances it will play.

Edison 4 minute wax Amberols that have been stored in prolonged freezing temperatures at some point in their existence are frequently found today with a hazy appearance and a very fine crackled surface similar in appearance to crackled glass that is popular today. These Edison Amberols I've found are pretty well beyond help but I always try my best to bring them back to playing condition if the selection is scarce or otherwise desirable.

There were several unusual and desireable titles (example here on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUTHZ_9tacM #473 "My South Polar Expedition" by Ernest Shackleton) recorded and released ONLY on Edison wax Amberol and for this reason I happily purchase every one that I can find that is in reasonable playing condition.

Doug

I had one or two wax Amberols break on me the same way years ago. For the past 15 - 20 years, I've been careful to

1) Keep the wax Amberols in the same room where the machines that play them are located.

2) Avoid any sudden changes in temperature when I play them. In the winter I will not play these records unless the record temperature and air temperature are equal or nearly so.

3) I don't hold these records in my hands for any longer than necessary to transfer them from the box to the mandrel and back again. In the summer months, this is not really a potential problem, but it can be winter.

I haven't had a wax Amberol break since I've been mindful about sudden changes in temperature.

George P.

Why are these so much more fragile than a Gold Moulded record? Did they just change the wax recipe? Is this fragility why they are called "Damnberols"? I have one that hasn't broke yet, it is "Teddy After Africa" by the New York Military Band. Is there anything I can do to preserve the cylinder while still being able to enjoy it?