Having worked on a number of Stella Disc Boxes I have seen the results
of several bad practices!  The dampers are the things which break the
teeth off.  The teeth are designed so that the dampers "choke" the teeth
as the teeth are cut into on each side near the tip.  Dirt, excess oil,
hair, rust flakes clog the dampers and subsequently jam them and snap
the tooth tip off.

If you have a rusty disc, clean all of the rust off and sand the
surface so that it is smooth, then oil it.  You really do not have to
oil the discs every time as they were impregnated(quenched) with oil
but occasional light oil (and I do mean light-sewing machine type oil)
is best.

Very few technicians understand the Stella dampering system and
incorrect comb setting when removing the combs can produce fatal
results.  It is important that the combs and damper assembly are clean
and checked occasionally -- keep the music box lid closed when not in
use.

A note on playing bad discs: I found the 17-1/4" Stella Console that
belonged to the direct descendant of Anne who was beheaded by Henry VIII.
(She bore a son who survived.)  When the Vanderbilt's came to visit
Occonomowoc, Wisconsin, their children used to take out one of the
discs outside on the lawn and use their pistols on it for target
practice!  (Quoted from Occonomowoc, the Newport of the West).

Well, the story was true!  I have the disc -- It is "Yankee Doodle"
and it has 62 bullet holes in it.  They would then take the disc in
and play it on the music box (ouch!) to hear the "improved" rendition.
The next owner of the property used some of the discs as "skimmers" on
the lake (must be really rusty by now).  When I took the comb assembly
apart the dampers were a tangled mess with three teeth out.  After
painstakingly straightening each one the instrument plays perfectly
today.

I can usually set a comb into position in about five minutes; however,
sometimes it takes hours.  I repeat: taking the combs out is not a job
for your amateur repairer; usually a Regina or other make can be done
by an amateur who watches and thinks.  The history behind these
instruments and their survival rivals anything in the collecting field.

Gregory Filardo