The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello everyone, I was looking over the Goldring soundbox on my Decca machine and took a look at it. I was already going to buy another soundbox for the machine and I was wondering if glue from a school gluestick might make for an okay substitute to beeswax. (I have really no idea where to find it in my country aswell, and I was stuck with candle wax).
I stuffed a bit of it around the needlebar connection to the diaphragm, and played a record.

Link to video: (it's an unlisted video link)
https://youtu.be/nM6PJpaB7bo?si=cga3lPSdDv3Yii7f

My phone microphone is not the best, and the record is a bit worn.
What do you guys think?

I have to say, your diaphragm doesn't look in great shape, and that looks like a huge amount of Prittstik (that's what we call it in the UK) - and I don't know how a solid mass of that stuff would dry, so who knows whether it will work. But, it sounds OK! Hope you can find a better soundbox for your Decca at some point.

I find when using beeswax that a ball of diameter around 2 or 3mm is enough when melted. I think I remember reading that back in the day, a blend of beeswax and sealing wax was used. Some people here use a small amount of PVA (white wood glue) instead of beeswax.

Orchorsol wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 5:04 am I have to say, your diaphragm doesn't look in great shape, and that looks like a huge amount of Prittstik (that's what we call it in the UK)

I have to agree in full with the above. I also don't get exactly why one would wish to substitute wax with glue. Soundboxes have to be rehauled periodically, and the wax drop is easily removed by melting it with heat. I have occasionally dealt with soundboxes that were glued, and indeed I could do a decent work by getting rid of the glue by soaking it with nitro solvent, but I definitely wouldn't recommend glueing anything on a soundbox.

Orchorsol wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 5:04 am I have to say, your diaphragm doesn't look in great shape, and that looks like a huge amount of Prittstik (that's what we call it in the UK) - and I don't know how a solid mass of that stuff would dry, so who knows whether it will work. But, it sounds OK! Hope you can find a better soundbox for your Decca at some point.

I find when using beeswax that a ball of diameter around 2 or 3mm is enough when melted. I think I remember reading that back in the day, a blend of beeswax and sealing wax was used. Some people here use a small amount of PVA (white wood glue) instead of beeswax.

Yeah the original diaphragm was holed in a few places and I fashioned one out of a food container. I didn't know it had to be corrugated aluminum to give better sound reproduction though as mrrgstuff pointed out when I first posted about my machine. The soundbox anyways was beyond repair for my amateur hands. Yeah I used a huge amount because a small amount never got to the places it needed.

Marco Gilardetti wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 5:56 am

Orchorsol wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 5:04 am I have to say, your diaphragm doesn't look in great shape, and that looks like a huge amount of Prittstik (that's what we call it in the UK)

I have to agree in full with the above. I also don't get exactly why one would wish to substitute wax with glue. Soundboxes have to be rehauled periodically, and the wax drop is easily removed by melting it with heat. I have occasionally dealt with soundboxes that were glued, and indeed I could do a decent work by getting rid of the glue by soaking it with nitro solvent, but I definitely wouldn't recommend glueing anything on a soundbox.

You guys are probably right, though this was like a last resort because I didn't find anything that would work with it. But yeah, I'm never doing this again. Thanks for replying you two.

I am one of the people Orchorsol mentions who uses PVA to seal the joint between the stylus bar and the diaphragm.
Small containers of PVA usually have a fine nozzle, making it easier to precisely apply a single drop than with wax. It goes on white, dries colourless and remains flexible. If it ever needs to be removed, immersion in warm water is all that is required.

A tiny bit of modeling clay would work, it only hardens after baking...

Epi's idea is probably best...

I enjoyed the disk in the video!

I found beeswax in my hardware store in the section with the furniture polishes.

If you have used a lot of the gluestick you will probably find it shrinks in time and will become harder (the evaporation of the moisture). You will probably find that it can be removed by dissolving in water.

Going on a tangent, from using gluesticks as a paper adhesive (intended purpose), I've noticed great variation of quality. Cheap gluesticks are good for a short period (eg. a school project) but don't provide good adhesion in the longer term. I've found the Bostik brand the best quality. And when using it with paper, put it on both surfaces first.

epigramophone wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 6:54 am I am one of the people Orchorsol mentions who uses PVA to seal the joint between the stylus bar and the diaphragm.
Small containers of PVA usually have a fine nozzle, making it easier to precisely apply a single drop than with wax. It goes on white, dries colourless and remains flexible. If it ever needs to be removed, immersion in warm water is all that is required.

That's a nice piece of information to know. When I have the time and resources to expand this will help a lot with judging certain hardware as redeemable or not. The advantages of using PVA were not known to me, seems like I have a nice alternative to beeswax. This is way more suitable for the hot environment I live in.

Curt A wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2024 9:28 am A tiny bit of modeling clay would work, it only hardens after baking...

Epi's idea is probably best...

I tried once looking for blutack that is usually used for sticking paper to walls. But it didn't really work for it. Never tried modelling clay, but PVA seems a more suitable solution.