8/77 Unattributed - Serial 4007 - possibly Bremond
This box belongs to some friends and is much loved at dinner parties.
I was commissioned to clean and service the movement and to clean, touch up and repolish the case and lid.
I was commissioned to clean and service the movement and to clean, touch up and repolish the case and lid.
Before and after, above.
How it was done, below.
How it was done, below.
The Movement
The Movement appeared to be in very good condition, just requiring a thorough clean, service and adjustment.
The main spring had been treated with some very thick oil and I thought that this was the reason that the movement ran very slowly.
There are no broken or missing parts and no apparent damage. The only issue is that the lead weights on the bass end of the comb are corroded, but not severely, and there is one missing damper.
It has been dismantled, cleaned, polished and reassembled.
I only found about six broken pins and straightened about 50 of the 3,000 or so. The rest were as they were when the box was first made so It has been well looked after.
A major issue of a broken mainspring looked to become a setback, but I was able to shorten it by 30mm and fit it back into the barrel.
However, the movement is still very, very slow which points to the windless and bay leaf gear being worn and so it may need to be sorted by The Music Box Restorer before it will run properly again.
However, my friends currently prefer the slow renditions and are very pleased with the result.
The main spring had been treated with some very thick oil and I thought that this was the reason that the movement ran very slowly.
There are no broken or missing parts and no apparent damage. The only issue is that the lead weights on the bass end of the comb are corroded, but not severely, and there is one missing damper.
It has been dismantled, cleaned, polished and reassembled.
I only found about six broken pins and straightened about 50 of the 3,000 or so. The rest were as they were when the box was first made so It has been well looked after.
A major issue of a broken mainspring looked to become a setback, but I was able to shorten it by 30mm and fit it back into the barrel.
However, the movement is still very, very slow which points to the windless and bay leaf gear being worn and so it may need to be sorted by The Music Box Restorer before it will run properly again.
However, my friends currently prefer the slow renditions and are very pleased with the result.
The Case
The case is also in good condition, with just a few marks and chips in the usual places.
The decision is to clean all surfaces, inside and out, then touch in the bad scratches on the right side.
The interior and lid edges will be French polished in black (as it was originally).
The lid will be lightly abraded using 400 grit silicon carbide paper, two or three coats of clear shellac polish, abraded with 0000 grade steel wool before wax polishing the whole of the exterior.
The decision is to clean all surfaces, inside and out, then touch in the bad scratches on the right side.
The interior and lid edges will be French polished in black (as it was originally).
The lid will be lightly abraded using 400 grit silicon carbide paper, two or three coats of clear shellac polish, abraded with 0000 grade steel wool before wax polishing the whole of the exterior.
Tune Sheet Restoration
Its amazing what can be done in Photoshop
Identifying the maker?
Although the only tune sheet on record does not unequivocally identify the maker, the serial number stencilled onto the bottom of the case and the low serial number of 4007 suggests it may be by Bremond or Grenier. The fact that the number is not stamped into the bedplate and that the Bulleid date line is a close fit for Bremond means that, although not conclusive, Bremond are the likely maker. My thanks to Paul Bellamy for his help with this.
