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MMD > Archives > October 2015 > 2015.10.04 > 04Prev  Next


Cleaning & Adjusting a Swiss Musical Box
By Tony Ciuffini

Jim Patrick is asking for help or a tutorial to explain how to adjust
a governor that does not work properly.  He indicates all the screws
and adjustments on the governor and actually my heart skipped a beat
when he talked about moving screws on the governor.

Jim, do not touch another screw on that governor!  If you release
the governor while it is under power your cylinder will spin rapidly
breaking teeth on the comb and bending all the pins on the cylinder
until the power runs out.  This is referred to as a "run".  You will
then have a basket case on your hands.

The first thing I do when starting a repair is to remove the comb
carefully and screw it down to a piece of wood upside down for
safekeeping.  Now if the governor let's go you do not have to worry
about teeth breaking or pins bending.  So take a little time and
carefully remove the comb and attach it to a piece of wood.

There are several reasons why your governor is acting as it does.
It probably is one or more of the following:

1. the ruby jewel on the governor is cracked or worn and needs to be
replaced;

2. the top of the endless screw is worn flat and needs to be shaped
back into a dome or semi-sharp point;

3. the endless screw itself could have scratches worn into the flutes;

4. the release gear (the one that engages the endless screw) could have
its points or tips worn and needs to be replaced.

Your description of the governors performance is a classic one of
a governor that meets one or all of the above four items conditions.
There are several restorers who read this forum that can certainly
resolve this problem.  I will not just work on a governor alone because
it must be adjusted and set up for optimal performance with the
mechanism.

Jim, I have seen and restored too many boxes that come to me that have
had runs.  Their owners want them repaired because they are heirlooms
in their family.  They are never cheap and I really hope you take my
advice above.  If you want to talk I can be reached at 1-310-541-4100
and I'll be happy to help you over the phone.

Regards,
Tony Ciuffini


(Message sent Sun 4 Oct 2015, 17:24:06 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Adjusting, Box, Cleaning, Musical, Swiss

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