I've had mixed luck with cylinders. If the crack has not chewed off any of the groove, and you can
fit the pieces back together very precisely, it will play. If you're playing it on an real-deal
Edison or Columbia player, the groove will quickly be chewed up by the heavy needle grinding over
the bump where the split is. If you are playing it on something more modern, you will have some
serious loud and often low-frequency (because of the size of the gap or hump) pops to deal with in
your computer. The key is to line up the groove on both sides of the split very precisely, and use
some sort of adhesive material that will not create a gap. I succeeded with tiny drops of Elmer's
glue, of all things. I dip a toothpick into the glue and rub a very small bit in a few places along
the split, making sure to focus the glue drops toward the inside (spindle side) of the cylinder. You
need to use so little glue that it doesn't ooze up into the groove when you gently (very gently)
press the two sides together. I would think chewing gum creates too big a gap for the groove to be
playable, but perhaps not on a vintage Edison or Columbia player. I cannot over-emphasize how
careful you need to be. Don't do this if your hands are shakey and/or your eyesight is poor. Work on
a clean surface with plenty of ambient light. And there's almost no such thing as too little glue,
you really can't use more than a tiny bit. The cylinder will very fragile, if it is playable, so
make sure to be ready to capture your playback when you put it on a player.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Lewis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Phonograph wax cylinder repair?
> If the wax is broken through, then Peter Dilg tried a technique which
> involved reassembling it with chewing gum, good because it is reversible
> and you can
> try, try again. However I do not know a technique for a cylinder that is
> split. You may wish to check with DGio on that one.
>
> Uncle Dave
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 10:12 AM, Jonathan Wise <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Dear List,
>>
>> Does anyone have experience (or know of any resources) related to the
>> repair of broken Edison phonograph cylinders? I have a few cracked black
>> wax cylinders (ca. 1910) that I am interested in putting back together and
>> would like to know what I'm getting myself into before I begin...
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> Jonathan
>>
>> Jonathan Wise
>> AV Archivist
>> Canadian Museum of Civilization
>> 100, rue Laurier Street, Gatineau, QC K1A 0M8
>> Tél: 819 776-8183 Fax: 819 776-7143
>>
>
>
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