Wind up music boxes has a long history. it started as a manually hand-driven musical device and evolved into wind up or clockwork powered music boxes. The user has to wind up the device with a specially made key till it tightens; the music will start once the wind up key is released. it was invented in the 19th century; it contains a set of pins, which is the steel comb that produces a sound once fondled by tuned teeth attached to a revolving cylinder or disc. some musical boxes also contain tiny bells and drums in addition to the metal comb.
The original wind up music boxes were small and it could even fit into a standard pocket. Their size varies from pocket-size to as large as a coffee table or even larger than that. Most musical boxes are wind up or powered by clockwork; it’s also the reason why the artisans of this device are watchmakers from Switzerland where a huge production of musical boxes originated, and also in Germany and Bohemia. Nowadays, they are found everywhere in the globe. Usually small and are mass produced for installations in stuff toys, dolls, photo albums, books, furniture, and other things that this device can be attached to.
Traditional music box cylinders are made of metal that contains clockwork components such as a spring. other designs are versatile, which gives you the option of changing the cylinders, in order to change the music it produces. There are also other traditional models that can continually play music for more than an hour. other contain a revolving metal disks; it works the same way as the cylinder version, but even better since disks types are cheaper and easier to change. Today it still follows the same traditional methods. There are the cheaper ones that are usually contained inside a plastic box, which are mass produced and integrated in other things, and the traditional hand-crafted ones that are obviously classy and expensive.
The basic design of the traditional music box is still present in modern day music boxes. The foundation is made of a bedplate; a heavy metal material, which all the other clockwork pieces are fastened, usually by tiny screws. The wind up key is used to coil and tighten the spring. The spring or the motor can be wind up to play the tune for a few minutes or even more; the more springs installed the longer it plays the music. The metal comb with tuned teeth of different lengths, which will resonate once it hits the fixed tiny pins, set in varying lengths attached on the surface of the disk or cylinder.
Commercially produced wind up music boxes are usually encased in white opaque plastic shell, wherein the base can be easily removed to show the interior clockwork movement. overall dimensions are typically small around 1 inch thick, 2 inches wide and 2 inches in length. it also contains side action hole that allows the use of turntable and a wind up key or other accessories. Oftentimes, the wind up key is included, but there are manufacturers that require you to buy the key separately. Modern come with different musical tunes, from standard to your common nursery songs.
The Legacy of Wind Up Music Boxes Lives On
Posted in 
