Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-07-02
How Music Boxes are Made.

The rosewood music box that the
dealer raised the lid of with confident
air after inserting key at one end and
turning it few times, was of the shape
and dimensions of small trunk.
''That is undoubtedly" he said, ''the
most perfect mechanical music box in
this country. 1t was made in our fac
tory IN Sainte Croix, Switzerland, under
several recent patents, which make it
much superior to instruments of this
kind as ordinarily constructed. The
price, too, is very low, only 81 800. Is
that the hIghest-priced instrument We
have? Yes. We do not keep higher
priced instruments in stock. We only
make them to order. We have got as
high as Sc, 900 for box but the music
produced was not so perfect as this, be-
cause the instrument lacked tine patent
ed improvements which this has. This
has regular set of reeds, with me-
chanical arrangement producing an al
most perfect imitation of the human
voice, together with bells, drums, cast
anets, and the harp, all of which are
used with the finest orchestral effect
Besides, by means of interchangeable
cylinders, the number of tunes may be
increased to any extent the owner may
desire, so that if he tires of one set of
tunes by a trifling expenditure he can
get another-in fact as many additional
sets as he chooses, embracing tunes OF
his own selection or ours, whichever he
may prefer. This box plays fOrty-eIght
airs without change of cylinder. Ra-
thar hirrh-nrfpaI -nttGin think =
Not at all, when you come to consider
the quality and amount of labor in
volved in the construction of these in
struments, the mechanism of which is
as intricate. in expensive boxes, as that
of the watch. Indeed, about the same
amount of mechanical skill Is required
in their construction as is needed in
making and putting together the deli
cate machinery of a fine watch. Our
different grades are the ordinary box,
with no accompaniment, and those with
bells, caStanetS. drums, either, piccOlo,
etc., producing the finest results IN eX-
preston and harmony. Indeed. the
harmony produced by some of our ex-
pensive boxes reaches the sublime in
point of musical expression.
We employ in our factory in Switzer-
land about 500 skilful artisans. Our
instruments are shipped to all parts of
the world, the instruments playing the
favOrite airs of each country to which
they are sent. We manufacture both
small and large boxes. Prices range
from dollar up to So. 900, or more if a
purchaser desires. The musical me-
chanism of these boxes is also placed in
many fancy articles, made chiefly i'll
France and Germany, such as albums,
work boxes, cigar cases, writing desks,
clocks, jewelry cases, etc. In clocks the
air is played when the hour strikes.
We place the mechanism also in chairs,
which play when you sit down upon
them, automatic figures, mechanical
toys, etc. This mechanism, although
requiring great skill in its construction,
is simple in ordinary boxes. 1t consists
of brass roller with projecting points,
steel comb, the teeth of which gives
the sounds, spring TO give the revolv-
ing motion to the cylinder, and a fly
wheel or fan to regulate the revolving
motion. The rough parts used in the
construction of music box, such as
the bed plate, the blank roller, the
main spring, the comb, the running
gear, ETC., are made III large machine
shops in Switzerland, which furnish
these parts to all the manufacturers
there. There are only two of those
shops that turn out really good works
in the shape of rough parts. The mu-
sic has first to be arranged for the boxes
by.thorough musical artists. The cylin-
der is then given to a person-generally
woman-who, with the aid of the
written music and very ingenious ma
chine, marks the places on the cylinder
where the points are to be inserted. An
other person then drills all the little
holes and another inserts the points.
The cylinder is then filled with molten
cement and then placed on lathe and
revolved very rapidly. The cement ad-
heres to the inside surface holding the
points, and is then allowed to cool. On
another machine the points are filed
down so as to'be of equal length. While
that is going on the comb is turned, the
turner having first to file the teeth to.
give the proper flexibility. The tone is
lowered by filing near the base, and
heightened by filing near the point. The
cylinder is set on the bed plate, and op-
posite it the comb is fastened, so that
the points of the cylinder and the teeth
of the comb exactly meet. These are
the main features of the ordinary me-
chanical music box. OF course the
construction and adjustment of the va
rious accOmpaniments, etc., in the
larger boxes are more complicated.