•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...

•That is the zither attachment you are referring to. A few Mira owners that I know (including me) remove that attachment in order to hear the full capacity of the box with no altering of the sound from the combs. The "zither attachments" I have removed from my Mira boxes appear to have originally ha...

•The sliding levers mechanism is for a "Zither" or "Mandolin" attachment. A roll, a little less than the size of a smaller lead pencil of silk glued onto paper, then is glued onto the underside of each of the mechanisms which slide over the combs. As far as the popping of the disc, you might check t...

•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...

•Hello, I am restoring a dick cabinet for Regina 15-1/2 inch discs. The inside vertical disc holder box has bowed considerably at the bottom; it seems to have sagged over the years and the partitions have moved out of place. It now has been carefully removed and a center brace placed into the openin...

•Hi Charles, If you try to wet anything, it should be the concave side of the board, then put some weight on the convex side. Or you could try to steam it and then drive your car on it. In either case, you need to remove the finish first. But I doubt if you'll have much success. [The photographs sho...

•Charles, regarding your problem of straightening the bottom board in the Regina disk cabinet, I have a couple more suggestions. If you decide to replace the crooked board, this might help. After you remove the board, place it bottom (convex) side up on the table saw and cut off a 1/2-inch strip alo...

•A friend of mine has an old "Angelus" player and he is bent on getting the thing working. I recovered all the leather bellows for him, sealed boards, etc., and even did the primary valves. The tubing was disconnected at some time and I only guessed at where it would go. The player does not play any...

•I just got my first music box, a Thorens AD30, with a good number of discs. Like any old piece, it has a few things wrong with it that I'll try to tackle one at a time. First off, when playing, the movement has a tendency to get stuck. If the disc is removed, the movement will continue unwinding. H...

•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...

•Simon Richens is having trouble with his singing bird bellows. I have viewed the video and it is clear that the reservoir is not opening far enough. This results in a low supply pressure and/or insufficient supply volume. It is not easy to see all details as the video is a bit blurred so I cannot s...

•Hello Simon, There are many shortcomings that yield the same results you have. Obviously, from looking at your YouTube video, the primary problem is a shortage of air in the reservoir section. Finding the air leak or leaks is a very challenging task. Almost every glue joint and valve are suspect an...

•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...

•The DeBence Museum just received a Nelson Wiggen Style 6 for the collection. The pumps and roll drive are in good shape, the case is excellent, with two stained glass panels in the upper cover, but many features have been disconnected. The wood block is gone. We would greatly appreciate some intern...

•I have recently acquired the Regina model 35 music box that sat in my grandmother's parlor for decades and in my mom's basement for the last 20 years. I recall it playing when I was young, but it hasn't worked for a long time. I've started learning about it and I'm _very_ carefully dismantling it t...

•Michael, Yes, I'm inclined to give you the advice you mentioned. However, it won't necessarily cost you several thousand dollars. Second, where are you located? Can you take some pictures of the problem? Third, don't try to wind it up. If it has a problem with the governor, you are likely to do fur...

•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 ...

•I am a Long Island player piano technician and I have had to look at _way too many_ storm damaged instruments to see if they are salvageable. An AMICA "Lady Liberty chapter project" Knabe Ampico A for the owner of Sweet and Low got destroyed not far from Coney island. This storm was a major setback...