[ Ref. James Patrick in 151002 MMDigest ]

Hi Jim,  Before you do _anything_ further, please STOP!  The governor
does _not_ have numerous adjustment screws.  There is only one
adjustment screw, and if you turn it, you will almost certainly cause
a "run" which will wreck the dampers, break comb teeth and/or tips,
and ruins the pins on the cylinder.  In a word, _don't!_

The screw on the left side of the governor block secures the left plate
to the main block, and _must not_ be turned at all while the mechanism
is assembled and has stored power within the spring motor.

In fact, the cardinal rule of _all_ cylinder music boxes is before
attempting any adjustment of any kind, _remove the comb._  This will
prevent catastrophic (expensive) damage in the event you do cause a
"run".

What is a run?  Any time the mainspring is under power, this power
is constantly applied against the governor gear train via the cylinder
axle shaft (arbor) and if for whatever reason the tiny gears are
disengaged -- by an owner experimenting with the worm gear lower
bearing adjustment, or gear failure due to wear -- the result will be
sudden and violent release of the spring power causing the cylinder to
spin several times in less than a second, which breaks comb teeth and
cylinder pins and damper wires.

"Flicking" the fan of the governor to make it start running is a
dangerous and very risky thing to do because the worm gear to which the
fan is attached is _very_ delicate and easily broken by doing that.

The screw you mentioned, which goes straight down through the governor
block, fastens the governor to the cast iron bedplate (or platform) that
all of the parts are attached to.  If you unscrew that screw, you will
positively cause a "run" unless you first remove the comb from the
machine _and_ also let down all of the mainspring power.

The tiny screw on top of the governor plate near the jewel bearing
holds the bearing cover in place and if you loosen that, you will also
cause a run.

There are several methods of cleaning a cylinder, some good and some
not so good.  First of all, never submerge the cylinder in liquid of
any kind, especially not an ultrasonic cleaning tank!  The interior of
the cylinder has a layered material called cylinder cement, which will
be ruined by water or other chemicals.  The method I use is really a
trade secret which I would rather not divulge, but it is 100 percent
safe and requires disassembly of the cylinder from its arbor and a
machine lathe.  That is as far as I can go here.

In almost all cases, the cylinder will require what we call
"re-cementing" which also requires a lathe, and a number of special
techniques.  The old cement is not replaced, but re-distributed within
the cylinder to restore the critically important uniform layer attached
to the interior walls and pins which serves the dual purpose of
stabilizing the pins and deadening unwanted harmonic noise marring the
music.

Jim -- from what you have described, and from looking at your photos,
it appears your music box is still in good overall condition and just
needs professional service to clean, polish and deal with the governor
non-starting issue.  It may need a new worm gear and second gear.  Or
it might be possible to restore the correct tip profile, and replace
the original pitted jewel bearing so that it will start up reliably.

None of these are easily accomplished by the novice, and in any case,
you won't have access to the gears or jewels required.  Far better to
send the music box to me or one of the few other remaining music box
specialists so that these issues can be dealt with properly and without
damage.

The maker of your music box was Junod, and it dates to approximately
the mid-1890s.

I suggest that you give me a phone call and we can talk about it.
I am only one state away, in Georgia.  Today, there are only a few
people still doing antique cylinder music box repair/restoration here
in the USA, and none in I am aware of in the great state of Florida.
But, again, _please_ do not even touch any of those screws you thought
were adjustments.

Sincerely,

Reg Smith - Antique Music Box Restorations
Dahlonega, Georgia
tel.: 1-706-540-8976
musicboxer@windstream.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]