•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- For starters, I have restored many pumper player pianos. I now have a customer who has asked me to repair a Seeburg so it plays like it is supposed to play. In addition to the player piano it has a set of violin pipes, with the valve/controls loo...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Hello to you all! I have a Dynavoice Piano Player which I bought several years ago that was not well packed for shipping, and arrived broken in many ways. I recently bought a Yamaha Clavinova (recording electronic piano), and am now determined to...

•Hello all, A while back I had a ciphering note and decided to investigate. I traced the problem back to the tracker bar, where two nipples were improperly soldered. I tried filling the spot with a bit of solder, but this only made matters worse. After playing a game of "Whack-a-Mole" with some nipp...

•[ Penn Jacobs wrote in 091204 MMDigest: > Should I try to get it repaired or just look for a replacement > mechanism or whole new unit? Please see page 247 of "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments" by Q. David Bowers. Helvetia, like Thorens, operated from Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, and mad...

•Hello MMD -- I have received requests about my roll repair method. I must say this is not a fast job. I tried different types of glue, but the best I came up with is Testor's Extra Fast Drying Cement for Wood Model Planes in the brown tube. I started doing this about 1990, and the first roll still ...

•Hello, I am the proud new owner of a 20-note Gem Roller organ, in original found condition. It comes from northern Indiana, thus the reason that the top board has the Sears and Roebuck stencil. Much to my surprise it still plays; however, it needs a full repair or restoration. My question to you: i...

•Once again, I plan to attend the upcoming MBSI annual convention in Dearborn, Michigan, next month. If you have questions, wish to discuss these delightful devices or have one that needs attention, contact me during the convention or see me at my tables during the mart. If you have something to rep...

•[ Bernt Damm wrote: > What is the correct way to reattach the aluminium reed assemblies > inside the accordion to their wooden carriers? I see the remnants > of some sort of waxy stuff (beeswax?). Hello, I've been an accordion player for many years. Accordion reeds are held in place with a concocti...

•Dear Bernt, In regard to your inquiry about the substance securing the reeds. You are partially correct. The fixative is basically beeswax mixed with rosin (and perhaps some other secret ingredient). You may be able to procure some commercially on-line from any company that supplies to accordion ma...

•Hello MMD -- On my last posting about roll repair [100519 MMDigest] I said I used Goo Gone Xtreme for removing Scotch tape from rolls. Since then, they changed the formula, and now it dissolves the tape also, leaving a mess of slush to clean up. I have gone back to using marine finish thinner, that...

•Once again I plan to attend the upcoming MBSI annual Convention later this month, this year in Rockville, Maryland. If you have questions, or wish to discuss these delightful devices or have one that needs attention, contact me during the convention or see me at my tables during the mart. If you ha...

•Mike Cino asks about two things related to the repair of the Mira music box. The oddly shaped metal contraption over the combs is the mandolin attachment. Glued under the curved bar is a piece of rolled up tissue paper. When the lever pushes the bar forward, the paper touches the top of the comb an...

•Great info from all the responders on the 18" Mira question! If you want to repair the zither bar, you can use onion skin paper. (Remember the old 'second sheets' from the manual typewriter days?). Remove the zither attachment and turn it upside down. Remove any residue on the underside of the bar...

•Dear Josh, from your description, it sounds to me like the gantry (the structure in front of the comb) has corroded and needs to be replaced. We have all the parts necessary to restore your Thorens AD 30 movement. Give us a call at 1-888-711-4646 to discuss. Regards, Tony Ciuffini - Music Box Docto...

•Hi Josh, in response to your inquiry in 110922 MMDigest regarding the Thorens AD30 movement. First, please understand that the on/off (or stop/start) mechanism is not an immediate reaction type of situation. From a stopped state, pushing the lever to START will start the mechanism. However, then pu...

•Hello Simon. I reviewed your video on YouTube and immediately understood your problem. As two others have indicated, your bellows is not holding the air enough as indicated. It is also obvious from your video that the pumping vane is in fact pumping air into the reservoir. We have been covering bel...

•Craig Smith gave some excellent advice about the repair of a Model 35 Regina [120726 MMDigest]. I'd like to add just one small thing. I had a regular Regina 15-1/2" machine in which the large gear was shattered, then welded back together (not round!). I had the gear remade and repaired the mechanis...

•MMDer Bob Yorburg is mentioned in a recent Wall Street Journal article, published December 9, 2012, for his role in the restoration of Coney Island after the extreme damage done by hurricane Sandy. Extracts: As storm-battered Coney Island rebuilds after Sandy, the operators of its famed amusements ...

•Hi! Here at http://www.r.lpmm.ca/MMD/A58411/index.html are the pictures of an old 2-airs small music box from an unknown maker. Serial number A58411 is stamped on the bed plate. It has indeed suffered a "run." I think it could be possible to repair it. The spring is in good condition, the Geneva st...

•[ Ref. Robert Patoine in 121216 MMDigest ] Hi Robert, You appear to have a 2/50 note movement, i.e., 2 tunes and a 50-tooth comb. The tune card stock showing the two airs would seem to indicate a Reuge movement, as Reuge used almost the exact same art work design on their movements during the 1960s...