How To Clean Old Wooden Painted Music Box

When disassembling a music box accept pictures of every part that is removed, before and after removal. You lot may think you will remember all of the details when information technology is time to reassemble merely chances are you won't and your pictures will be an invaluable reference tool.

Initial Observations

Always audit the within of the music box case for any parts that might have fallen off or for broken pieces that might exist missing. Also check the sound board for whatsoever cracks, feet on the bottom of the music box that might be missing or loose, or whatever loose moldings or case joints that need attention.

Look at the disc dishing rollers for any vesture, flat spots, or rollers that won't plough freely. Rollers with apartment spots should exist replaced and rollers that don't turn freely should be cleaned or oiled as necessary.

Inspect the rollers over the drive sprocket for wear and make sure they turn freely. Replace if necessary.

Check disc hold down rollers for wear or flat spots. The diameters should all autumn within a 0.004" range, preferable within a 0.002" range. Supersede equally necessary.

When removing the disc hold down bar check for any shims nether the back up, note how thick these are and where they are placed so they can go dorsum in the aforementioned place.

Clean out the dirt and dust from the dampers being very conscientious not to bend the dampers. Never loosen or motion the star wheel gantry, damper rail, or center mail as these were ready at the factory and are very hard to go back in the right place.

Before removing the center disc support from the center post, measure the dimension from the top of the center mail to the back up surface where the disc rides. A dial caliper works fine for this purpose.

The height of the disc back up tin can also be set up past placing a direct edge across the tops of the disc spacer rollers. The pinnacle of the disc support surface should be in line with the straight edge.

Check center post for a wear groove, if too deep a new center postal service will have to be made.

Removing the centre post is not usually necessary but if information technology must be removed the following is a useful technique. Follow these instructions closely then that the middle postal service can exist put dorsum in exactly the aforementioned position as it was. Clamp metal bars to hold the bracket position side to side as well as up and down as shown. This style the bracket can be perfectly repositioned during reassembly.

Check that the disc spacers and star wheels turn freely and that there are no flat spots on the spacers or bent star wheels. If a star wheel is aptitude it tin probably be straightened in identify by carefully bending the tip or bent office of the star wheel with a needle nose plier and then checking to make sure it turns freely. If a disc spacer has a apartment spot it will accept to be removed and a new 1 made. The removal and replacement should be washed by an experienced music box repair person. If you remove information technology yourself you lot could damage the star wheel gantry.

Whatsoever screws that accept been removed should be inspected for any burrs caused by a slipping spiral driver or other damage. These burrs, if present, tin can be removed by placing the screw in a drill motor to concur information technology and advisedly filing the burr or if necessary turning the drill on with the spiral head going in a direction toward a file held confronting its surface.

The screw caput tin can be cleaned and wire brushed and/or polished using the drill motor while turning. The degree of polish will vary depending on the polish on the balance of the music box. Some music boxes take a high degree of polish on all of the parts and some have a satin appearance. Wire brushing will become the rust off and requite a satin appearance, if a higher caste of smooth is desired the screw can be buffed besides. A rotating drill motor is used to concur the screws during wire brushing or polishing and so the screws won't become lost and to protect your hands. It also gives a uniform finish and speeds upwards the process. Another method to give the screw heads a satin finish is to use a Scotch bright pad while turning the screw in the drill motor. Be careful to not become the screw head slot caught in the Scotch brilliant pad.

In addition the washers used under the comb screws can be polished with a wire cycle or buffer by placing the washer on a blast then that it is free to rotate confronting the blast head.
The nail is and so placed with the head down and with the washer on the nail and resting up confronting the head of the nail. The washer to be polished is placed confronting a wire wheel or buffing wheel then that the wheel volition brush or buff beyond the surface of the washer while giving the washer a dull spin.
Here again the type of finish desired will determine the method used.
Greasy parts can be cleaned using a surfactant type cleaner and done off with water. Parts should and then be dried off using compressed air and oiled or sprayed with a rust preventative correct abroad to prevent rust.

The pocket-size parts including the governor parts and all brass parts can be cleaned in clock cleaning solution using an ultrasonic cleaner. If any of these parts are appearance parts they should exist polished as original. Either oil or lacquer should be used on all steel parts to prevent rust and lacquer should be used for brass appearance parts to retain the polished look.

The governor should be disassembled and cleaned in clock cleaning solution using an ultrasonic cleaner for the smaller parts; the castings tin exist degreased as discussed to a higher place. Audit all begetting pivots and bushings for habiliment, re-bush as necessary. Inspect the precious stone used to have the thrust load from the endless screw. It should be apartment with a mirror end. If it is pitted it should exist replaced with a new 1 of the same size. Inspect the governor springs for uniformity, if the springs are not uniform in size and length it will affect the balance of the governor and create dissonance.

Adjacent the endless screw should be polished to a mirror finish using a Dremel type tool with a modest buffing wheel and jeweler'southward rouge as shown. Be extremely careful to not put too much forcefulness on the endless screw, it only takes a pocket-size force. Hold the endless spiral in a drill motor chuck and turn slowly while rotating the buffing wheel at a fast speed to polish the endless screw threads. The endless screw is very difficult and brittle and will break very easily so be very careful when doing this polishing operation. The countless screw thread should come out with a mirror end. Alternately a lathe can be used to hold and plough the endless screw while polishing with a Dremel type tool.

The thrust end of the endless spiral needs to be rounded with a diamond carte file and then polished to a mirror finish with the Dremel buffing wheel.

If the metal or cast parts were originally painted, repaint as original, masking off surfaces that mate with other parts.

Now that all of the governor parts have been cleaned and polished it is fourth dimension to reassemble the governor. First start with the side plates and the 2 gears that become between them and assemble these onto the casting or metallic function that separates them.
They have dowel pins for alignment and are screwed in place. Once the metallic plates are screwed in place with the gears in betwixt them, check to come across that the gears turn freely. Adjacent assemble the endless screw with the fan blades into the pivot with the jewel so put the other bearing plate in place. This plate is adjustable to vary the clearance between the endless spiral and the leaf wheel (mating gear).
The foliage bike gear should not bottom out in the countless spiral thread but should exist close to bottoming out.
Side by side oil the associates using a good clock oil. Putting your finger on the larger gear in a direction that will movement the countless spiral toward the end thrust jewel, the governor should first upwards every time pressure level is practical to the larger gear. If not, increase the clearance always and then slightly and try again. With a few tries the governor should beginning reliably. Do not increment the clearance to the point that the leaf wheel comes out of the countless screw thread more than half way. If it still won't commencement there is probably a vesture upshot which will require a new countless screw or gear and possibly new bushings.

Back to the bedplate. We come across here the bedplate with the centre mail service reinstalled and polished. The bedplate needs to be degreased and wire brushed in preparation for painting.

At present we mask off the bedplate and are ready to paint.

The bedplate is now painted gold and nosotros are set up to marshal the star wheels with a dowel pin. This facilitates assessing how well the dampers are adjusted.

The dampers should all be uniform in appearance and positioned with tension against the star wheels. If this step is done carefully the dampers volition about likely not need much attending later when the comb is installed.

The comb is next degreased if necessary, and a Cratex annoying bar is used to clean up surface grime and light rust from the comb without affecting tuning. The comb is mounted on a cake of wood that is clamped in a vise and the comb teeth tips are supported by a small piece of wood.
The Cratex annoying is stroked across the comb in the direction of the teeth tips and so as to not leave whatsoever cross scratches while the teeth tips are supported with a small piece of woods. Later the rummage is cleaned in this manner the comb is sprayed with lacquer or oiled to prevent corrosion.

The rummage is now positioned on the bedplate by carefully positioning the dampers betwixt the comb teeth and engaging the dowel pins on the bedplate. The comb is now fastened to the bedplate with the rummage screws and washers. These are tightened alternately until all screws are tightened evenly.

The dampers are now set up to be checked and adjusted if necessary. Each star bicycle is turned until the comb molar is plucked and the dampening action is observed both mechanically and with the ear to see how well each star bicycle dampens the vibrating molar note. The notation of the plucked molar should band freely until the damper is moved up against it by the rotated star cycle. If necessary the tip of the damper is bent slightly to contact the tooth more or less and then that the tooth is dampened correctly. Correct dampening is accomplished when the vibrating tooth motility is stopped earlier the star wheel comes in contact with the bottom of the molar while moving the star bike as if being moved by a rotating disc.

When the hold down pressure level bar is installed it needs to be adapted for a polish closing action. The screws that mountain the hinge end of the pressure bar need to exist tightened a trivial at a time while checking the closing activity of the pressure level bar end over the center mail. Move the mountain until a smooth closing action without whatsoever binding is accomplished.

The case is cleaned with a special case cleaner that simply removes former wax and dirt that has accumulated on the surface of the wood. It does not affect the original cease but restores it to its original color and beauty.
The case is now waxed with a color wax that gives it a overnice luster and patina and hides whatever minor scratches.

The music box mechanism is now assembled into the case and a disc is played to assess that everything is working equally information technology should and the dampers are performing correctly. Besides the disc to hold downwards roller clearance tin can exist checked for proper clearance if the disc does not play correctly. The proper clearance is from .005" to .009".