[ Laurie Wildridge wrote in 141204 MMDigest --

> I would like to know where to find a winding key for a revolving
> Lador music box Christmas tree stand.

Hi Laurie,  I may be able to assist you in your quest for a winding
key for your Lador musical Christmas tree stand.  However, sight
un-seen, I'll need more information about the type of key needed, how
it operates, and how it attaches to the mechanism to wind the stand
and musical mechanism.  Like the keys to door locks, different lock
makers use different types and sizes of keys, and those may very well
change over time.  So too with music box makers and their winding keys.

Lador was a maker of mechanical musical mechanisms in Sainte-Croix
Switzerland from 1889 to 1986, when they were acquired by Reuge SA.
(Reuge is still making musical movements in Sainte-Croix today).
During their almost 100 years of operation, Lador made and marketed
musical Christmas tree stands and they also supplied other makers of
Christmas tree stands with the musical components, which those makers
then incorporated into their own products.

Just as with cars, whose makers change and modernize their styles
and designs and engine types and sizes, over time, so too did Lador
who made different sizes and styles of musical mechanisms that they
incorporated into their products with different winding mechanisms
and different size, type and length of winding keys.

Your Christmas tree stand may be fully mechanical or it could be
electrified to allow for electric tree lights and/or for powering the
revolving portion of the tree stand.  The winding key could have been
a crank type handle (see photo below of Lador electrified tree stand).
That crank handle could have been of varying lengths and removable,
fitting over the winding shaft like a bayonet, or it might have been
threaded on to the winding shaft like the crank handle on a pepper mill.

Otherwise, the key could have been inserted through the side of the
stand or the top of the stand (see the second photo below of a German
manually wound musical tree stand).

Alternately, the winding key could have been inserted through the top
of the stand (see below) and/or it could have been shaped more like the
key used in turning the valve of a gas fireplace.  Those type winding
keys also had different lengths and means by which they were attached
to the mechanical winding stem.

Therefore, to assist you in finding, or making, a suitable replacement
winding key, one would need to know the type of key needed, how long
(or short) it needed to be, where and how it attached to the mechanical
winding shaft, and the dimensions and design of that winding stem.

To get that information, one may very well have to remove the
decorative cover to access the winding shaft and accurately take its
dimensions (preferably in metric measurement relative to the diameter
and attachment design of the winding stem and its relative position and
depth from the exterior cover.

It is technically possible to have a key made and sent to you.  However,
because of all the variables involved, it is far better to bring, or
send, the tree stand and mechanism to whomever is going to fashion the
key.  That way the technician can work with the entire unit to insure
the keys utility and functionality.

Please let me know how I may be of further service to you for music box
parts or repair/replacement services.

Most sincerely,

Don Caine - Proprietor, The Music Box Repair Center Unlimited
Lomita, California
mbrcu@aol.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ Lador Tree Stand
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/14/12/06/141206_201647_crank-on-side.jpeg 
 [ German - Manually operated Tree Stand
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/14/12/06/141206_201647_key-on-top.jpeg