| Ballerina Music Boxes, inlaid music boxes, | | | | few music box repairers who would be happier |
| musical jewelry boxes, cylinder music boxes, | | | | now if, 30 years ago, they'd sold their |
| and antique music boxes are delicate and | | | | lathes, workshop tools etc. and taken up |
| beautiful. As most music box and antique | | | | farming. Not me though, I hasten to add."10. |
| collectors know, in order to preserve them, | | | | For those antique and music box collectors |
| sometimes repair and restoration is needed. | | | | looking to find valuable and interesting |
| For this special work, it is important to | | | | pieces for their own collections, where would |
| choose a company that is reputable and an | | | | you suggest they go either online or offline? |
| expert in this area. This is the second part | | | | How about those who are just starting a |
| of an interview with music box and mechaical | | | | collection?"Take advice from your friends. |
| insturment repair and restoration expert, Mr. | | | | Don't necessarily follow it, but give it some |
| Jim WeirJim does all kinds of antique musical | | | | thought. Subscribe to music box sale |
| box repairs and restoration. His work | | | | catalogues, it's a good way to check what |
| includes comb repairs, releading and tuning, | | | | things actually sell for; they often give the |
| dampering, cylinder repairing, and organ | | | | hammer price of items from previous sales. Go |
| bridge work. Jim also offers all manner of | | | | to music box auctions if you can; not |
| musical box work on disc and cylinder music | | | | necessarily to buy anything but to observe, |
| boxes..Let's listen as he continues to give | | | | to get a feel not just for how much pieces |
| us an inside peek of this unique business.6. | | | | sell for, but for what sells and what |
| What if your least favorite part of running | | | | doesn't. Try to figure out why what looked |
| your business? Your favorite part?"Paperwork. | | | | like a nice box didn't sell. If you're really |
| Dealing with taxes and Customs (although I've | | | | interested in buying a specific musical box, |
| got quite good dealing with Customs and | | | | either from a dealer, private seller or at |
| Carriers). My favorite part? There is a | | | | auction it can save you a lot of heartache if |
| satisfaction in finally getting a job | | | | you get someone who knows what they're |
| finished; there's also a fair amount of | | | | looking at to check the box over and advise |
| satisfaction in finally getting paid."7. What | | | | you of likely repair costs before you buy |
| are some of your favorite music box and | | | | it.A lot of repair costs can be itemized; if |
| collectible pieces and why?"A 26" consul | | | | a potential customer emailed or wrote to me |
| model Stella. It belonged to the late Bruce | | | | (even `phoned me) with a good description of |
| Devine and literally arrived in pieces (it | | | | a box needing repair, I would do my best to |
| had been dropped from a crane while being | | | | advise them as to how much the repairs could |
| loaded). Originally Bruce gave it to one of | | | | cost before they part up with maybe a lot of |
| my trade customers, who passed it on to me. | | | | money to buy it. I don't charge for this and |
| Then my trade customer ducked out of the | | | | neither do most restorers; having given |
| deal, and I ended up working direct for | | | | advice we all hope for the work if the |
| Bruce. It was an `interesting' experience and | | | | customer goes on and buys the box. If the box |
| quite a steep learning curve. At the end | | | | is a particularly fine example, and likely to |
| though, the box did sound good. Excellent | | | | be expensive to buy, it's can be worth paying |
| tune arrangements."8. Is there any | | | | a restorers time for them to go and check it |
| interesting history associated with some of | | | | out at the sellers address. I've done this; a |
| your pieces?"I don't collect musical boxes; | | | | collector armed with an itemized potential |
| without being funny I genuinely cannot afford | | | | repair cost of something he's interested in |
| to. Some of the pieces I've worked on have | | | | buying is in a very strong position when it |
| had `history'; as an example the Stella | | | | comes to arguing the sale price with the |
| referred to above. Another would be a rare | | | | seller".Jim ends with saying this about his |
| long and short pin Forte-Piano box (maker | | | | hopes for the future:"To bring in more work |
| unknown) I overhauled for a customer in | | | | and pay off the mortgage. Ok, there's a lot |
| France. It had a silver presentation plaque | | | | more to life than that but one way or |
| in the lid; as far as I could gather it was | | | | another, the bills still have to be paid. |
| presented to a Mayor in 1847 for some kind of | | | | Most of my work to now has come from dealers; |
| `service to the townspeople'. I'm not up on | | | | what I'm hoping is that by advertising in the |
| French politics, but the middle of the 19th | | | | MBSI Journal, I'll attract more work direct |
| century were turbulent times. One of the | | | | from the public. In theory I could put up my |
| nicest stories is a box I fully restored for | | | | public prices, but in practice I cannot, at |
| an old lady in Edinburgh. She was in her | | | | least not to customers in the USA. They |
| 70's. The box had been in her family since | | | | already have to pay shipping costs, and the |
| new, and she had last heard it play when she | | | | simple fact is that whether a musical box |
| was a child."9. What important advice or tips | | | | needs comb work, cylinder work or a full |
| would you give to someone who would like to | | | | restoration, there's a top limit to how much |
| start a business such as yours either online | | | | most people will pay to have it worked on, |
| or offline?"I wouldn't. Things move faster | | | | irrespective of how long the work takes. |
| now that we have the Internet. To get fully | | | | People have to make choices; your car's |
| involved in this kind of work takes time, | | | | broke, your washing machine leaks and the |
| which the whole `I want it NOW' approach of | | | | antique music box you inherited from your |
| the Internet doesn't favor. I was lucky in | | | | Grandmother squeaks. Which one do you spend |
| that I had a skill with clocks that I was | | | | your money on? That's about it really; the |
| able to sharpen and direct to music box work. | | | | sun's shining and it's time to get back to |
| If I had to give advice, I'd say by all means | | | | the workshop."I'd like to personally thank |
| get involved with music boxes, or whatever | | | | Jim for taking the time to share with us this |
| else begins to drive you, but try to maintain | | | | valuable information about his business as |
| a backup. The wisest thing? Learn that | | | | well as letting us get a sneak peak into the |
| `quitting' is not necessarily a personal | | | | world of music box repairs and restoration. |
| failure; it's recognizing that some choices | | | | Jim Weir can be reached at or by telephone |
| can turn out to be wrong. There are maybe a | | | | fax at 01144-1575-572647. |