THE MUSICAL MOVEMENT

How it works (brief explanation)

The pins on the revolving cylinder pluck the teeth on a fixed comb to create the tones.

The power to play these mechanisms comes from a spring, whose power is directed through gears, and it is the gears that turn the cylinder and the governor.

For information about the different starter types and how they work, see the page "Repair".

Movement Details

Back view of the springmotor, the first part of the gear train, and the cylinder.

On the bottom of the picture, between cylinder and big gear, is the "tune changer" visible. This steel stick is usually screwed onto the bed plate of the movement. If it is removed, the cylinder will no longer change its position between two songs, and therefore will just play the currently playing tune.

Some musicboxes have a "change/repeat" switch that allows to either play all 3 tunes of a cylinder, or playing over and over the selected tune again (ignoring the two other tunes on the cylinder).

Governor with endless screw, air brake and last wheel of gear train. Musicboxes usually start/stop playing by releasing/blocking the rotating air brake. DO NOT TOUCH THE GOVERNOR PARTS, unless you know what you are doing. Shape and complexity of governor parts vary widely. Some contemporary Reuge musicboxes have a round-shaped airbrake, cartels (see page classification) often have complex air brakes.

Close-up of Comb. Under the teeth are the dampers visible.

You can recognize a changing movement (playing more than 1 tune) by its teeth. Teeth of movements with just 1 tune are the same width on the whole tooth. In contrast, the teeth of changing movements have to be narrower at the end (close to the cylinder), as the pins (on the cylinder) of the 2 tunes NOT playing at the moment have to pass between the teeth without touching them. The numbers on the picture indicate where the first (1), second (2) and third (3) tune of a movement would pass the comb, if the first tune is playing.

After finishing the first tune, the cylinder moves a little bit to the right (so that number 2 is centered over the tooth), playing the next song. The same happens between the second and third song.

After the third song, the cylinder jumps back to the original position, and the musical movement starts again with the first song.

Manufacturing stages of the Musicbox movement

Machining:

Shaping of the brass base-plates, on numerically controlled machines.

Stamping:

Numerous stamping operations create mechanical parts that make up the movement, from materials such as brass or steel.

The comb:

The combs are first of all cut rough, and then the teeth are cut by machines which were created, developed and made by Reuge.

The comb is then heated and plunged into oil to create a thermal shock; the correct hardness of the comb, and therefore the correct tone is thus obtained. The temperature and the time of heat treatment that make Reuge’s quality and reputation, are kept secret.

After that, lead is soldered underneath the teeth for the bass notes.

The comb is then tuned. This is a computerized operation; each tooth has a frequency, and a grinding wheel files them to the correct frequency.

Finally, synthetic dampers are glued underneath the teeth which produce the bass notes to act as a damper (to perfect the sound). In the past, chicken feathers were used.

The cylinder:

The brass cylinder is drilled by machines. After that, 0.25 mm diameter steel wire is inserted into the holes by other machines.

At the factory "Reuge", each cylinder is visually checked to make sure that all the pins are in place and that they are straight. A small tool called a "poussette" (pusher) is used to insert the missing pins or to straighten ones which are crooked.

Plugs are then placed at each end of the cylinder and an axle is placed inside. The next stage is equalizing the pins.

Fixing:

This is the first time in the manufacturing of the musical movement when we can actually hear a tune.

The fixer assembles all of the components on to the base-plate and checks the movement. The last step of the process is fixing the comb, so that it is exactly opposite the pins and neither too far nor too close to the cylinder, and checking the quality of the completed movement. This job requires a good musical ear and perfect vision.

Musicbox Terms

Air Brake:

this part is connected through the Endless Screw and Gear Train with the Mainspring. The Air Brake slows down an otherwise very quick (and dangerous) unwinding of the mainspring, thanks to the physical law of air resistance.

Bedplate:

the base on which the components are held. The bedplate is the means by which the unit is fixed inside its case or housing.

Bridges:

brackets at either end of the cylinder and spring barrel that are used to mount the mechanism.

Comb:

a series of teeth or prongs that produce the desired notes. The prongs or teeth may be thought of as miniature tuning forks that generate a particular note when they are struck.

Cylinder:

the rotating roll that holds the pins. The longer the cylinder, the more notes it usually contains. The thicker the cylinder, the longer a tune plays, as 1 revolution of the cylinder equals the duration of 1 tune. (However, some cylinders have 2 tunes put one after the other, so the first half of the revolution song 1 plays, song 2 plays the second half.)

Damper:

a small piece of paper glued on the downside of a tooth of a comb. It stops the vibration of a tooth just before the tooth is played again.

Endless screw:

this part is located in the governor mechanism and is the heart of the governor. It looks like an ordinary screw with a shaft protruding from each end. The wings of the governor (called Air Brake) are attached to the upper shaft of the screw.

Gear train:

the sequence of wheels and pinions that transmit power between the spring and the endless screw.

Governor:

the device that controls the power and speed of the turning cylinder. The governor may be distinguished by the wings (called Air Brake) that turn when the musicbox plays.

Key:

the handle attached to the motor that is used to wind the spring.

Mainspring:

the steel spring that provides the power to turn the movement.

Springmotor or motor:

the housing (spring barrel), spring unit, and gearing that powers the whole mechanism.