Copyright 2006 Monique Hawkins
Ballerina Music Boxes, inlaid music boxes, musical jewelry boxes, cylinder music boxes, and antique music boxes are delicate and delightful. Since many music box and antique collectors know, so that you can preserve them, sometimes repair and restoration is required. For this special work, it is very important go with a company that’s reputable and an expert to the picture. This can be the second part of a conversation with music box and mechaical insturment repair and restoration expert, Mr. Jim Weir
Jim does all kinds of antique musical box repairs and restoration. His work includes comb repairs, releading and tuning, dampering, cylinder repairing, and organ bridge work. Jim now offers various musical box develop disc and cylinder music boxes..Let’s listen as they continues to provide us with an internal peek on this unique business.
6. Let’s say your least favorite component of running your small business? Your favorite part?
“Paperwork. Dealing with taxes and Customs (although I have quite good dealing with Customs and Carriers). My favorite part? There exists a satisfaction in finally acquiring a job finished; gleam fair level of satisfaction in finally getting paid.”
7. Exactly what are some of your favorite music box and collectible pieces and why?
“A 26″ consul model Stella. It belonged on the late Bruce Devine and literally arrived in pieces (it had been dropped from a crane while being loaded). Originally Bruce gave it to just one of my trade customers, who passed it on me. Then my trade customer ducked from the deal, and I ended up working direct for Bruce. It was an `interesting’ experience and a significant steep learning curve. At the conclusion though, this area did sound good. Excellent tune arrangements.”
8. Perhaps there is any interesting history linked to some of your pieces?
“I don’t collect musical boxes; without having to be funny I genuinely do not want to. A number of the pieces I’ve done have experienced `history’; such as the Stella described above. Another has to be rare long and short pin Forte-Piano box (maker unknown) I overhauled for just a customer in France. It experienced a silver presentation plaque inside the lid; where I could gather it turned out given to a Mayor in 1847 for many form of `service for the townspeople’. That’s not me up on French politics, nevertheless the core Nineteenth century were turbulent times. On the list of nicest stories is really a box I fully restored with an old lady in Edinburgh. She what food was in her 70’s. The therapy lamp had been in the family since new, and she had last heard it play when she would be a child.”
9. What important advice or tips can you give to somebody who would choose to find a business like yours either online or offline?
“I wouldn’t. Things move faster ever since we now have the online world. For getting fully involved with these kinds of work takes time, that this whole `I want to buy NOW’ approach of the Internet doesn’t favor. I had been lucky in that I had created an art and craft with clocks i could sharpen and direct to music box work. Plainly were required to give advice, I’d say go ahead and have a go at music boxes, or other things that actually starts to drive you, but try to maintain a backup. The wisest thing? Learn that `quitting’ isn’t necessarily a private failure; it’s recognizing that some choices can turn over to be wrong. There are maybe a few music box repairers would you be happier as an alternative if, 30 years ago, they’d sold their lathes, workshop tools etc. and brought up farming. Not me though, I hasten to incorporate.”
10. For anyone antique and music box collectors looking to find valuable and interesting pieces for own collections, where would you suggest each goes either online or offline? Why not consider those people who are just starting a set?
“Take advice from your friends. Don’t necessarily stick to it, but give it some thought. Sign up to music box sale catalogues, it’s a good method to check what things actually sell for; they generally give the hammer valuation on items from previous sales. Head to music box auctions if you’re able to; not necessarily to purchase anything but to observe, to get a feel not only for the way much pieces sell for, except for what sells and what doesn’t. Try and understand why what looks like a great box didn’t sell. Should you be really interested in getting a specific musical box, either from a dealer, private seller or at auction you save lots of heartache when you get a person that knows what they’re investigating to look for the box over and give you advice of likely repair costs before buying it. A great deal of repair costs could be itemized; if a potential customer emailed or wrote in my experience (even `phoned me) with a good description of any box needing repair, I would do my better to advise them about just how much the repairs could cost before they part on top of what about a bundle to buy it. I would not charge due to this nor do most restorers; having given advice all of us a cure for the effort if the customer proceeds and buys the lamp. If the box is usually a particularly fine example, and likely to be expensive to buy, it’s may be worth paying a restorers time for them to go and appearance against eachother with the sellers address. I conducted this; a collector furnished with an itemized potential repair expense of something he’s thinking about buying is in a very strong position on the subject of arguing the sale price while using seller”.
Jim ends with saying this about his desires for the long run:
“To make more work and pay off the mortgage. Ok, there’s a lot more someone’s than that but some way, the debts still have to be paid. The vast majority of my work to presenting originate from dealers; what I hope is by advertising from the MBSI Journal, I’ll have more work direct in the public. In theory I could truthfully organize my public prices, but in practice I am unable to, no less than not to customers in america. They already have to cover shipping costs, and the simple fact is always that whether a musical box needs comb work, cylinder work or possibly a full restoration, you will find there’s top limit to just how much most of the people will probably pay to have it worked on, regardless of the length of time the task takes. Folks have to create choices; your car’s broke, your washer leaks along with the antique music box you inherited out of your Grandmother squeaks. Which one do you spend your hard earned money on? That’s regarding it really; the sun’s shining this is time and energy to come back to the workshop.”
I wish to personally thank Jim when deciding to take any time to share with us this specific details about his business as well as letting us receive a sneak peak into your world of music box repairs and restoration. Jim Weir
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