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