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MMD > Archives > November 2003 > 2003.11.14 > 01Prev  Next


Lubricating Musical Box Discs
By Don Shenbarger

In 031113 MMDigest, Tom Werner forwarded a recommendation as follows:

> The gentleman that serviced my Stella says by rubbing a little bit
> of WD-40 under the disc will help keep it lubricated.  He said don't
> use oil because it can gum up the gears inside the disc player.  My
> music box was really gummed up before I took it in to be serviced.

I do not recommend this advice, nor should any lubricant ever be
applied to the starwheel area of any music box.

It's not a question of gumming up the works -- that can be cleaned.
The problem is that dust and dirt will accumulate in the lubricant
and has an abrasive effect on starwheel clutches.  They will wear out
quickly in use with any oil applied or transferred there.

Regarding WD-40, which is a "water displacement" formulated product
that happens to have a quasi-lubricating effect, some have reported it
has a corrosive property.  It's great for drying spark plug wires and
making stuck things unstuck, but I don't know if it should be used in
place of a proper lubricant, especially on antique machinery.

Once refurbished, a music box needs no attention for at least ten
years.  I do not recommend adding any oil even to the oil tubes that
are found on some music boxes.

Others have written on the subject of cleaning rusty music box discs
and a search of the MMD Archive will provide a good education.

Don Shenbarger


(Message sent Fri 14 Nov 2003, 13:29:22 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Discs, Lubricating, Musical

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