Phonoland

Hi:

I have read that Edison Blue Amberol cylinders are flammable, is this true? If so Is it safe to store them at room temperature? In summer it gets 100 degrees is this ok?

I just wonder how safe they are to have around.

Hi BA,
Yes it is true! Anything made of celluloid is highly flamable. The most commonly known item with a reputation of going up in flames would be old film. This has been known to spontaniously combust when in storage, due to chemical reactions of the film & nitrates etc used to print the image on the celluloid.
Blue amberols however, will not do this. The blue colour in the celluloid is a dye, and the chemical reaction which causes film to go up, is not present in the cylinders. You would have to put a naked flame against a cylinder before it burns. You could sit one out in full sun all day, and it won't catch alight.
It is a good idea to keep them in a cool dry place, but this is because heat & direct sunlight can cause the celluloid to shrink. This can distort the shape of the cylinder, making them split or alter the groove pitch and the stylus won't track the grooves properly. Blue Amberols wil usually split from shrinkage, but celluloid Indestructible cylinders can get tracking problems- particularly 4 minute indestructibles.
Celluloid cylinders were originally made by forcing steam into tubes of the material, which would heat & expand the celluloid in a mould, so they can certainly handle temperatures of at least 100 degrees C.

Thanks Shane for the reply.

I feel better, I was just concerned that the cylinders might just instantly combust or warm summer heat could cause them to catch fire.

I really like blue amberol records they are nice and sound awesome, I have 78s, 2 min cylinders and edison diamond discs, and the blue amberols seem to have a distinct sound and tone of their own. I have a Amberola 30 and its probably my favorite machine.

Jerry

Interesting. I have some nitrate film negatives kicking around somewhere. Perhaps I should find them and make sure they are stored securely - say in a metal box! I remember once burning one as an experiment and they sure go up with a puff! I had no idea though that they could self combust!

Sam.

Yes, old film stocks are extremely unstable. The first sign of deterioration is they look like they're corroding, and you get a yellow froth forming on the reel. The froth can be either dry or wet. Safety film was pretty common place by the 1960's, but check what you've got & seperate the safety film from the rest, & store them seperately. It should be marked "safety film" at least every 12" or so beside the frames. Store them in a cool dry place in a strong metal box if you have one, well away fromanything flamable.
I had a few here, but donated them to a film museum so they could be properly stored & restored, and so they weren't any danger. My parents lost their house to fire when I was a baby, so I didn't want to take any chances, but thought it would be a shame to just chuck them out.