I have lurked probably longer than most, and my introduction will
explain why.

I inherited my love of mechanical things from my mother.  Now a retired
German professor, she collects and restores antique watches and clocks.
My wife is a competent mechanical engineer, but she works in high tech
precision space experiments and is little help.  But she introduced me to
pinball machines, which I collect and restore.  And she introduced me to
music.

For a wedding present, I wanted to give her a music box.  (Yes, Nancy,
there are some of us on this list.)  I could find only the simple commer-
cial ones available and so bought her a nice Reuge.  But I am exceeding
lucky because I live near Ralph Heintz!  I visited his workshop and
became entranced.  He provided me with my first music box restoration
project and he was willing to help get me started.  It is a nice cylinder
box with bells, castanets, and drum.  I hope to finish it by our tenth
anniversary.

But none of this explains why I subscribe now.  I have a Paces Races
also desperately needing restoration.  This is a gambling machine from
the early 1930s and has horse racing as a theme.  You bet your nickel and
the horses race, and the machine calculates the odds and pays off.  And
it is all pneumatic and the horses are moved according to a piano roll
hidden deep in the machine.

And for those that are curious, please visit the Sands of Time Mechanical
Museum at

    http:///www.dnai.com/~sands/

Please do edit my contributions.  Please continue to add editorial
comments, especially if contained in brackets, and please continue this
group.  You are all well-behaved and extremely interesting.

Michael Sands      (408) 773-1170¶
age: 50¶
Sunnyvale, CA  (San Francisco area)¶
sands@dnai.com    http://www.dnai.com/~sands/¶

 [ Glad you popped up here, Michael.  I remember corresponding with you
 [ ages ago about your process for restoring the art glass of the
 [ pinball machines.  I hope you will share your knowledge with us
 [ sometime.  Don't delay the music box restoration.  ;)  -- Robbie