I finally found the time to read the last two issues of MBSI's Journal,
"Mechanical Music."  Really glad I did.  Wow -- the articles in them
are outstanding!

One day somebody in my family will need to prepare our Regina changer
for shipment.  When they do, they will use Bob Caletti's step-by-step
article about exactly how to pack one up.  A photocopy of the article
is now in the drawer of the changer.  In the same issue was Jay
Carsman's article about how he repaired, reworked and adjusted his
Regina changer.  Now I am inspired to tweak mine so it plays more
reliably.

If you are around music boxes you probably have seen one that needs
a flick on the governor to get it started.  Paul Bellamy's masterful
article in the July/August issue describes a thorough governor rebuild.
It is the best discussion of the subject I have ever read.  Even if you
never intend to work on one yourself, it gives you a deep appreciation
of the skills of the original builders long ago and of the modern
rebuilders.

Now there is a description of how the Mills Violano Virtuoso's bow
motor works that can actually be followed and understood.  It was
always a mystery to me how they controlled bow motor speed so well in
the early 1900s.  Edward Hattrup updated his original article from 1978
to make clear how it works and how to adjust the speeds to make great
music.

A big thanks to each of these and the other authors of the MBSI
Journal.  Congratulations to MBSI for a great publication with really
valuable articles for our collecting and restoring community.

Wayne Finger