6/41 Paillard Vaucher et Fils - Bells in Sight - Interchangeable Cylinder Cartel - Restoration Diary
Serial No. 8057 circa 1890
I bought this box at auction in June 2023
There were one or two obvious issues including an almost collapsed box housing the spare cylinders.
The bedplate had been repainted, without taking anything apart, so there was a lot of gold to be removed from places it shouldn't be.
There is quite a lot of wear making the start-stop system inoperable in it's current state.
The interesting thing is that the governor and spring barrel hang underneath the bedplate.
There were one or two obvious issues including an almost collapsed box housing the spare cylinders.
The bedplate had been repainted, without taking anything apart, so there was a lot of gold to be removed from places it shouldn't be.
There is quite a lot of wear making the start-stop system inoperable in it's current state.
The interesting thing is that the governor and spring barrel hang underneath the bedplate.
Restoration started 10th July 2024
Some more issues were discovered during dismantling, mainly that parts of the mechanism have had some early significant repairs particularly to the spring barrel, which has been over-clad and the start-stop lever mechanism spring is a thin piece of brass, crudely formed and fixed. The female Geneva stop has Benn 'modified' and may not be the original. It's screw thread is stripped and will need to be replaced.
Some more issues were discovered during dismantling, mainly that parts of the mechanism have had some early significant repairs particularly to the spring barrel, which has been over-clad and the start-stop lever mechanism spring is a thin piece of brass, crudely formed and fixed. The female Geneva stop has Benn 'modified' and may not be the original. It's screw thread is stripped and will need to be replaced.
Taken to The Music Box Restorer September 2024 for tuning, dampers and a general tidy up of the bad work done in the past.
Before the start
Separate box for the three cylinders
Before Dismantling
Bells and strikers
Parts during dismantling
Bedplate
Firstly I used a paint stripper and then a wire brush in a drill to completely remove the paint and degrease the surface.
One liberal coat of Liberian gilding cream and left to dry for several days.
Firstly I used a paint stripper and then a wire brush in a drill to completely remove the paint and degrease the surface.
One liberal coat of Liberian gilding cream and left to dry for several days.
Brass parts ready for cleaning
Reassembly
Final push
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And we have sound!
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December 2024
The mechanism issues have been sorted by The Music Box Restorer, so now its just the cases to sort
The mechanism issues have been sorted by The Music Box Restorer, so now its just the cases to sort