Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > October 2002 > 2002.10.02 > 02Prev  Next


Storing Music Box Discs (Tune Sheets)
By Lee Munsick

I am indebted to Colin MacKinnon for referring to problems with his
zinc discs.  Looking back at my earlier posting about storage, I find
that I failed to use the word "zinc", referring merely to "gray discs".
I should have said zinc discs.  They are problems for a lot of reasons.

Best to stick to good, solid steel tune sheets whenever possible.  If
one must have a zinc disc, treat it with extra care, for the various
reasons disc-cussed here!

I would say again that except for shipment, putting music box discs
in any kind of holder is asking for problems.  Doesn't matter how
"modern", pH balanced, acid-free or whatever the fancy plastic
envelopes are and so on, one risks short-term and long-term damage to
one's discs.  The lugs will catch in the material and possibly retain
little pieces, which can then wreck one's star wheel assembly and
dampers.  Many plastics also have a tendency to shrink.  This in time
will try to warp the discs, just as the shrink-wrap found on new LPs
tried to do.  Get them off!

Except for Stella discs, which store horizontally very nicely, one's
best bet is to store vertically.  Not so loose that they can start to
curve or tip over,  but loose enough so that one disc may be located
and pulled out without catching on its neighbors.  If one insists on
storing each disc in its own individual slot, I would suggest
partitions of clean STEEL sheet metal (watch out for that old physics
bugaboo "dissimilar metals"), which will not impart fuzz or chips or
whatever to the discs as might other materials, such as cardboard.
But steel would be extremely expensive, and is simply not necessary.

Happy discing!

Lee Munsick
Appomattox County
South Central Virginia USA


(Message sent Wed 2 Oct 2002, 13:29:08 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Discs, Music, Sheets, Storing, Tune

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page