[ Ref. "Need Help With Musical Cuckoo Clock" by Justin J. Miller
 [ in 130122 MMDigest --

Hi Justin,  In response to your posting on MMD:

Sorry, I can't help identify the tune(s) from the YouTube Video, but
I can tell you that it was designed as a 50-note changing/shifting
mechanism, and therefore has the capability to play multiple tunes.
My guess, based on the spacing between the teeth tips, is that it plays
3 or 4 different melodies.  It could play only one tune over and over,
or it could play 2, 3, 4 or 6 tunes.

After each complete revolution, the cylinder moves slightly, almost
imperceptibly, from left to right driven by a small "snail" between the
cylinder and the drive gear.  Then it plays the next melody, shifts to
the right again, and so forth until the last melody is played, at which
time you will see the cylinder perceptibly drop back from right to
left, driven by the spring attached to the right side of the movement
base that rests against the side of the cylinder, and begin the first
tune over again.

I'm pretty sure I can assist you in replacing the main spring and
restoring the musical mechanism inside your cuckoo clock.  My guess is
that the "buzzes" you are hearing are caused by missing or worn dampers
on the musical comb or perhaps from those bent pins you mentioned.
(The dampers are designed to stop a particular note from vibrating
before it is plucked again.)

If the damper is missing, or worn, the next pin to strike that note
hits a vibrating piece of metal and goes "buzt" just before it plucks
that note again.  Bent pins can also cause unwanted noises as they rub
against other notes or dampers.  And it is also possible that the
cylinder is stuck on its central shaft causing it to be slightly out of
proper alignment and not shifting from side to side as it was designed
to do.

As I'm sure is true with vintage and antique clocks, sight unseen it
is really impossible to even guesstimate what it might cost to restore
your music box.  What I can tell you is that I have a $45.00 bench fee
for evaluation and estimate to repair.  If you choose not to have the
suggested repairs made, we will be pleased to return it to you, and
your only financial responsibility would be the $45.00 fee plus the
return packaging, shipping and insurance charges.

I appreciate your assessment that the mainspring is broken, and that
is generally not to difficult to replace once the specifications of
the existing spring are determined (length, width, thickness, tinsel
strength, and means of attachment to the winding arbor and the spring
housing).  However, the fact that the spring is broken renders the
mechanism inoperative and even though you can drive the cylinder
manually there could be problems with other gears/components that will
not be apparent until the spring is replaced.

Non-functioning musical mechanisms are very much like cars that won't
start.  The lights won't come on so we install a new battery.  Now the
lights come on but the car still won't start.  However, now that the
electrical system has been restored we see that the gas gauge reads
empty, so we add gas.  But it still doesn't start, so we start looking
at other items that might cause the car not to work.  Even after we
find out what the problem(s) were and get the car started, we may then
find that it runs very rough, or it doesn't sound very good.  Then we
need to determine what other adjustments to different components are
needed and advise what they might cost.

What I can tell you is that my minimum labor charge is $90.00 for the
first hour or part thereof.  Additional time beyond the first hour is
also billable at $90.00 per hour but in 10 minute increments ($15.00),
plus the cost of replacement parts, if any are needed, and the return
shipping, handling and insurance costs -- perhaps an additional $50 to
$100 or more for a valuable antique.  (If the estimate to repair is
approved, the $45.00 bench fee is waived and the evaluation time is
simply considered as part of the first hour's labor fee.)

Please let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

Most sincerely,
Don Caine - Proprietor, The Music Box Repair Center Unlimited
Lomita, California
tel.: 1-310-534-1557