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MMD > Archives > July 2013 > 2013.07.23 > 01Prev  Next


Repairing a Head Turning Singing Bird Box
By Troy Duncan

[ Rick Inzero wrote in 130719 MMDigest:

> Holy Cow!  I didn't realize just how tiny this bird was until
> you picked it up half way through the video!

I was initially very hesitant with taking the bird totally apart
due to the age, small size and complexity of the mechanism.  However,
I acquired this piece from Poland and waited seven months for a
government export permit.

I had heard horror stories where others sent their fusee boxes to
well-known clockmakers and watchmakers only to spend $3,000, $4,000,
etc., and after twelve months their box was still in parts and not
working.  I had rectified all of the faults except the head was still
not turning as freely as it could or should.  This was after fully
dismantling all of the parts except for the head, multiple ultrasonic
baths per Mayson's instructions, cleaning the tiny parts, et cetera.

I had a feeling that there was Super Glue between the head and body
disc and I was about to put the bird in an acetone bath (Super Glue's
enemy).  I did not want to dismantle the head unless absolutely
necessary because the pins holding the head casing were 100% flush
-- the head is a totally separate component.

I do want to thank my good friend Don Caine because before I bathed
the bird, I called him on another matter and told him about my current
project.  He suggested that rather than bath the entire bird, just
apply some acetone to the area of concern.  I think Don has a lot of
experience with Super Glue issues!

In short, I applied acetone to the neck area and then manually
rotated the head and sure enough, strands of Super Glue residue started
coming out which I removed with tweezers.  After about ten acetone
applications, manual rotation and tweezers removals, all of the Super
Glue was gone.  I was a happy camper and Don's suggestion saved me
a lot of time and trouble.

Troy Duncan


(Message sent Tue 23 Jul 2013, 02:29:29 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Bird, Box, Head, Repairing, Singing, Turning

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