Todd Augsburger wrote:

> Several immediate questions come to mind, since I am NOT an expert:
>
>    Can pins be easily straightened, or will they break?
>
>    What is causing the non-harmonious play? Is it likely repairable?
>
>    Are these things I can repair, or only by an expert?
>
>    How much beyond the initial cost am I likely to spend?
>
> Thanks for any and all advice!

Dear Todd,

The answer to pin straightening seems to depend on when the box was
made and if the pins are crooked or bent completely over.  Some pin wire
is more brittle than others but in general, if the pins are crooked,
they can be straightened, using a ground off hypodermic needle of the
appropriate size (Nancy Fratti sells an inexpensive tool), but if the
pins are bent flat to the cylinder, in most cases they will break off.
A few pins off doesn't really affect the tune, but a lot of pins, or
many pins off on one tune (common) make a repin necessary.  This is
expensive!

The sound you describe sounds like the cylinder is "out of register."
That means it is not correctly lined up with the pins of a particular
tune, but is playing pins from 2 tunes at once.  Again, depending on the
box, this can be adjusted by turning the post that runs on the tune
selection snail (got that?).  Sorry about the technical term, but I
couldn't think of anything else to call it.  There are lines on the
cylinder that line up with either tune 1 or the last tune, and that
will tell you where the correct placement is.

The problem of telling you whether or not you can do the work, and how
much it will cost are not possible to answer without knowing the extent
of the damage to the box.  If the teeth are misaligned, which is
possible if the repairs were poorly done, pass on the box.  Getting a
good job on replacing teeth is expensive, and in my opinion it is even
more difficult if someone has done it badly in the first place.  And of
course, it depends on the price and the quality of the box in the first
place whether it is worth your efforts.

There are many MBSI members in Ohio.  Send me an E-Mail and I'll give
you some names of someone who can advise you in your area.  And of
course, I'll be glad to send you an application to join the MBSI so you
can learn more about music boxes.

Beatrice Robertson (MBSI Membership Chair) brobrtsn@peganet.com