•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Hello all, Does anyone have any actual practical experience of using an adhesive such as Araldite, etc., for attaching single replacement or groups of teeth into a cylinder musical box comb? The time honoured method of soldering works okay, but I...

•To the correspondent who asked the question about attaching comb teeth with super glue or epoxy [030818 MMDigest]: 1. It won't be stable or firm enough to withstand the constant vibratory forces 2. It won't transmit its vibrations in the same way or in the same quality as a well made metal-to-metal...

•Well, I've been thinking about the problem of the repair of a music box comb. And while I understand that it's a big secret, it's fun to consider some likely alternatives. 1) Silver solder comes to mind first. the old stub and the new piece are ground off, probably at a bevel to increase the area o...

•The current debate on replacing teeth in musical box combs has been of a great interest. One or two of the suggested methods have been nothing short of scary, and if practised, would in all probability result in the total loss of the comb. If an amateur restorer wants to attempt to replace a tooth ...

•Mark Kinsler writes in 030820 MMDigest: > 1) Silver solder comes to mind first. _Please_ delete it from your mind immediately! Causing all the lead tuning weights to melt, de-tempering, distorting and de-tuning the comb is not a good restoration principle. Might be quicker just to throw the music b...

•Please forgive the correction to Mr. Kinsler's note, but there are a couple of mistakes in his posting that could lead to destruction of a musical box comb rather than its repair Let's start out with the basics: If we are talking about a modern musical box mechanism made by Sankyo or Reuge, they ma...

•Hello All, As a follow-up to my previous post regarding the fitting of comb teeth using an adhesive, I would firstly like to thank those few who responded and also apologise to anyone who may have been offended by my comments. The initial problem was that it was assumed by the readers that I knew n...

•Hello all comb repair enthusiasts: I have been reading about some attempts to replace teeth in musical combs and the thought of using glue. I say go ahead and try it but then be prepare to do it all over again properly. You need good tight, solid metal-to-metal contact between the new tooth and the...

•Today I brought home a Gem Roller Organ with 13 cobs. The metal hardware works properly. That is, turns the cob and the pins on the cob open and close the pallet valves. However, there is no sound. Before I can determine what the problem could be I need to know more about how this little "gem" work...

•In 031001 MMDigest, Larry Wilson asked about repairing a Gem Roller Organ. Well, Larry, I have the answer to your problems and your prayers. Go to Todd Augsburger's web page (www.rollerorgans.com) and buy a copy of his book: Roller Organs - The Autophone Company's "Ingenious Mechanism". In it you w...

•Larry, (1) You are correct that the reservoir contracts (moves down) as the vacuum builds. 2) The "patches" you describe on the exhauster bellows are flap valves which exhaust the air. They are supposed to be attached at each end, and act as "check valves" allowing air to pass out of the bellows. A...

•1. Yes. 2. The 'patches' are called flap valves, and yes, the air from the bellows is evacuated through them. They must create a tight seal on the intake phase of the cycle in order to have a vacuum. You must glue down the ends of the valves, or replace them if the leather is too porous to make a g...

•In order to replace the flap valves on a Gem Roller Organ wouldn't I have to remove the exhauster bellows to get to the flap valves? Which means I would have to replace the bellows too? Larry Wilson

•Larry Wilson asks: > In order to replace the flap valves on a Gem Roller Organ wouldn't > I have to remove the exhauster bellows to get to the flap valves? > Which means I would have to replace the bellows too? Yes, that's the general idea. You'll want to anyway -- it's probably full of holes, whet...

•Yes, it is necessary to open up the bellows to get to the inner flap valves on a Gem Roller Organ. (I understand that it's "possible" to do a "bellows-ectomy" and surgically operate on the flap valves, but that would only make sense if the bellows cloth had already been replaced with new.) Those wh...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Do any of you music lovers know how or where I can get the main spring of my Thorens repaired? I was showing my 6-year-old daughter the proper way to wind up her grandmother's music box and ... pop !

•> Do any of you music lovers know how or where I can get the > main spring of my Thorens repaired? Nancy Fratti carries replacement parts for Thorens musical boxes, including new mainsprings. Contact her at . Musically yours, Bill Wineburgh http://members.aol.com/WWineburgh/ ...

•> Do any of you music lovers know how or where I can get the > main spring of my Thorens repaired? Wow -- that's a tough one. I would start by addressing the following people, but no promises: 1. Nancy Fratti, of Panchronia Antiquities, deals with antique music boxes, restoration and supplies. I do...

•Hello. Any 'real' clock repairman will have a means of winding these springs for replacement, although I'm not sure how easy they will be to find. Still, that's where I'd start... Regards, Bob Loesch - Cuckoobob's Clocks in beautiful Lake County, California, USA http://www.cuckoobob.com/ ...

•I responded to Lambert Johnson privately, but would like to let the group know that I have new mainsprings for the small Thorens disc music boxes, as well as replacement combs, damper rails, star wheel gantries, and governor gears. I'm sure other music box repairers here in the US may also have som...