The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I know this has been discussed in the past but I will pay attention this time. What are the latest thoughts on cleaning moldy cylinders. I have a couple of brown wax and black wax that are moldy. How did I kill the little blighters that are eating these records?

Jim

I've heard that this mold (or fungus) may actually be a chemical bloom and not a plant at all. I'm ready to be convinced either way. Pre-bloom theory, I used to apply Mycotin anti-fungal cream to mold spots on cylinders, but it never made the spots go away or even lessen. I figured I was at least arresting the development of the mold. The Mycotin never seemed to harm the good part of the cylinder surface.

Do we know for 100% certain whether we are dealing with a fungus -- or -- a chemical efflorescence?

Hi All,
Mold is an active organic matter that lives and "eats" whatever it forms on. At first it may cause very little damage but under the right conditions it can and will eat "large quantities" and do a great deal of damage. Once this damage takes place there is no magic bullet that will bring the surface back as new or replace it. Cleaning with a product called labtone will remove it and stop any further growth.
Abe

My understanding, and based on my observations, is that brown wax cylinders do indeed grow real mold, and the 2 minute wax, ala Gold Moulded" is a chemical rusting as a result of poorly mixed solution.

Once a cylinder turns moldy, it's a gonner. A brown wax can be shaved and recorded new, however, you lose whatever was unplayable due to the mold.

I'm not sure if a poorly mixed solution is the problem . . . I would think it is simply prolonged exposure to excessive humidity causing some sort of chemical reaction in the metallic soap.

Labtone eh? Who supplies it? I have one cylinder with the red bloom and a couple of more with the more usual mold. And the red bloom is on a Columbia of Forty Five Minutes From Broadway..by Billy Murray. It's always the good ones that are either cracked or moldy or that one knocks off the desk and smashes to smithereens.

Jim.

What about just putting the cylinders in a place with a safe amount of light (not in the sun!) and keep a fan circulating air? It may halt the mold allowing for a very detailed cleaning after with the right product?

Isn't Labtone just a surfactant (non-sudsing detergent)? Is that enough to kill mold/fungus amungus?

Hi All,
I am in NY rather than my home in Arizona and get back late next week. Labtone was used in a large project by the libarary of congress to clean AND remove /stop mold in a large-5000 group of cylinders. The results were posted to a web sight for the assoc. of restorers who share all sorts of info. This is sold thru a company called SWR scientific I will post other info if requested.
Abe

I posted the below on the topic way back bu it's the best information I've found regarding storage so will do it again.

I stumbled across this interesting paper on ideal storage conditions for various media including wax cylinders and 78s when trying to figure out optimal conditions for my wax cylinders.

http://www.keene.edu/library/OrangAsli/sound.pdf

In summary, even wax cylinders are more tolerant than I expected although ideal conditions are temperature between ~52 and 68F and humidity of 45percent. If humidity goes above 65 percent you may start having trouble.

Cheers, Bruce