Volume 70, No. 1 January/February 2024

Volume 70, No. 1 January/February 2024

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Volume 70, No. 1 January/February 2024

5 PresidentÕs Message
7 EditorÕs Notes
31 In Memoriam

MBSI News

On the Cover
Al ZambaÕs cylinder bird box is in prime condition after an approxi.mately 950 hour restoration. Read more about it on Page 8.

By Matthew Jaro
MBSI President
Collections bind us together as a society. We maintain personal collec.tions of instruments. We go to MBSI chapter meetings to view personal collections. We visit collections during the annual meetings. Collections vary from disk music boxes, cylinder boxes, roller organs, nickelodeons, band organs, orchestrions to mixtures of all of these. This variety makes it very exciting.
Despite this excitement, I often hear people tell me they are getting old and want to downsize their collections. I usually say: it took all your life to establish a collection and now you want to sell it? They would say, ÒI donÕt want my children to be stuck trying to sell everything.Ó I would point out that there are reputable dealers in the soci.ety that would take collections to sell on consignment. The ÒchildrenÓ are probably leading their own lives and have no real need for maximizing the prices received. The difficulty for them to arrange a sale would be minimal. Just leave them contact information. In the meantime, you could continue to enjoy playing your instruments and sharing them with other members of MBSI.
When you buy an instrument, buy it only if you love it. Buying machines for an investment remains very uncer.tain since prices have been declining and there is no futures market for mechanical music. If you are buying from an individual or an auction, be sure to bring a knowledgeable person with you to assess the instrument. If the machine needs to be restored, remember that the lead time can be one or more years before work can begin. Also, the cost of a full resto.ration can easily exceed the current value of the machine. I have spent more money than the machine is worth on a number of occasions, but the results have been wonderful. If a machine needs restoration, the price should be less than for a fully restored machine.
When you sell an instrument, remember that you are probably not going to Òbreak evenÓ on the trans.action. The amount you paid for a machine has no bearing on the price that can be realized on the machine. Thinking that you want to get what you have into the machine is a good way to not sell your machine. You must entirely forget what you paid for the machine because it is totally irrele.vant to the selling price. You loved and enjoyed the machine for a long time, and now, just let it go.
DonÕt be ashamed of having a collection of only a couple of pieces. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it can be a lot of fun sharing even a small collection. For the annual meet.ings, you can have an open house. Collection tours have traditionally visited larger collections, but if you and some friends cannot accommo.date 50 people in your house at one time, smaller buses can be used to make more stops than the large buses and to visit more collections.
Each acquisition has a story behind it. Consider submitting your story to Mechanical Music. Topics like how you decided upon a particular machine, the hunt to find it, moving it, problems encountered, provenance of the machine, negotiations, restoration process, and the music for it are all interesting subjects. ItÕs important to keep Mechanical Music supplied with interesting and informative articles. These days members are reluctant to volunteer so itÕs becoming critical to buck this trend. The same is true with participation in annual meetings and chapter activities. Consider opening up your house for a chapter meeting. ItÕs a lot of fun and not too much work.
Please contact me about any sugges.tions you might have to make MBSI more fun, more educational, and more informative. Meanwhile, have a great New Year.

Mechanical Music

43 East Coast
48 Southern California
53 Golden Gate

An unusual turn
Walter Behrendt took a different approach to collecting when he asked that music from his cylinder box be arranged and played on a piano. Read about it on Page 20.

MECHANICAL MUSIC

Journal of the Musical Box Society International

Devoted to All Automatic Musical Instruments

Editor/Publisher
Russell Kasselman
(253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
MBSI Editorial Office:
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
editor@mbsi.org
Publications Chair
Bob Caletti
All manuscripts will be subject to editorial review. Articles submitted for publication may be edited or rejected at the discretion of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Staff. The article will not be published with significant changes without the authorÕs approval. All articles are considered to be the authorÕs personal opinion. The author may be asked to substantiate his/her statements.
Mechanical Music (ISSN 1045-795X) is published by the Musical Box Society International, 130 Coral Court, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 six times per year. A Direc.tory of Members, Museums, and Dealers is published biennially. Domestic subscription rate, $60. Periodicals postage paid at San Luis Obispo, CA and additional mailing offices.
Copyright 2024. The Musical Box Society Inter.national, all rights reserved. Mechanical Music cannot be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form whatsoever without written consent of the Editor and the Executive Committee.
MEMBERS: SEND ADDRESS CORRECTIONS TO:
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Or, make corrections on the website at www.mbsi.org.
POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO
MBSI, PO Box 10196,
Springfield, MO 65808-0196

Features

8 The Almost Lost Box
20 Turnabout is Fair Play
24 More moments from the 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting
32 Nickel Notes

Chapter Reports

MBSI has replanted 258 trees so far as part of the Print ReLeaf program.

EditorÕs Notes

MAILING ADDRESS
MBSI Editorial / Advertising
130 Coral Court
Pismo Beach, CA 93449
EMAIL ADDRESS
editor@mbsi.org
PHONE
(253) 228-1634

By Russell Kasselman
MBSI Editor/Publisher
A new year means many new things to prepare for and be excited about. First up is a change in schedule for the MBSI annual meeting which will be held jointly with the Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA) in Los Angeles, CA, in July instead of the customary August/September time frame. AMICA is taking the lead on planning this convention and traditionally holds its annual get together at that time so MBSI is making some adjustments to make partnering easier this year. The only detail currently known about the upcoming joint gathering of automatic and mechanical music enthusiasts is the dates which are set for Jul. 3-7, 2024. If you normally travel elsewhere during that period of time, perhaps think about adjusting your routine and joining everyone for what is sure to be a grand set of adventures in the Golden State.
The next item to be aware of is that this is an even-numbered year which means we will be printing the biennial MBSI Directory of Members, Museums and Dealers in the months immediately following the annual meeting. The directory includes phone numbers, addresses and email addresses for all members who opt into sharing their information with the rest of the society. This information is available online, but the printed version can be handy when you donÕt want to fire up the computer to look up a name or a phone number or if you happen to be traveling somewhere with poor internet connectivity.
I will take this opportunity to remind you that you can update your contact information and information sharing preferences by going to the website at mbsi.org and logging into your account using your email address and the password you set. If you have never logged in, please try resetting your password first. If you still have trouble, please email or call me directly and IÕll be happy to help out.. Once at the memberÕs only area, look for the icon that says ÒUpdate My Information.Ó Click that and you will come to a form where you can adjust your phone number, address, email address and also update whatÕs in your collection, what you are interested in and whether people can view your collection anytime, by appointment, or not at all.
I encourage you to opt into this information sharing with your fellow members as it is a great way to connect with others. The directory includes listings of members in each state, so when you plan a trip you can look up members where you are going and ask to see their collections while your are there.

Upcoming Deadlines

ADVERTISING
Advertisements for the March/April 2024 issue of Mechanical Music need to be submitted by Feb. 1, 2024.
Advertisements for the May/June 2024 issue of Mechan.ical Music need to be submitted by Apr. 1, 2024.

EDITORIAL
Articles and photos for the March/April 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Jan. 25, 2024.
Articles and photos for the May/June 2024 issue of Mechanical Music should be submitted by Mar. 25, 2024.

Welcome new members!

October 2023
John & Juanita Loder
Redmond, WA
Kurtis Morrison
Tacoma, WA
Mark Reed
Beavercreek, OR
Janice Holland
Los Angeles, CA
Sponsor: Don Caine
Vincent Thebault
Paris, France
George Stover
Towson, MD
Miranda Krone
Portland, OR
November 2023
Samir Kanse
Markneukirchen, Sachsen,
Germany
Fred Soetje
Wilmington, DE
Sponsor: Brad Reinhardt
Tania & Gregory Wojdak
Santa Barbara, CA

The Almost Lost Box

By Dr. Alvin Zamba
I have always been fascinated by the miniature bird that chirps when it pops up from those marvelous bird boxes. The same mechanism is incor.porated in some rare cylinder music boxes. As the music plays, the bird sings and rotates its head and body back-and-forth; flaps its wings; and opens its beak. I thought someday I would like to acquire one.
A few years ago, I purchased a large cylinder box with a bird in the front window. Unfortunately for me, I found it had been worked on many times by repairmen who did more harm than good. The sound from the box was poor and the bird did not function properly. I made the decision to assign the restoration of this box to the only person who, in my experience, would be capable of restoring the box to the condition it was in when it left the factory.
ÒI originally turned down restoring the box,Ó Dwight Porter, owner of Porter Music Box Company Inc., said. ÒI felt it was simply destroyed beyond saving.Ó
Eventually, Dwight relented and accepted the opportunity to tackle the challenge.
When Dwight received the music box, he evaluated its condition and saw that both combs had been filed so thin that they made no appreciable sound. The combs would need to be re-manufactured. The tuning scale was scratched out on the original comb bases. Extensive research had to be done by Jack Perron in conjunc.tion with Dwight Porter to restore the original tuning scale. Six thousand pins were replaced in the cylinder along with 800 single pins for the bird control section. Along with replacing and repairing the bellows and wooden whistles, the bird had to be disassem.bled to repair the critical parts of its movement.
The organ control mechanism was a complete mess and had to be made new as well. Dwight says he invested probably 900 hours into restoring the music box.
Dwight says he started the project by restoring the damaged cylinder first, as he was confident he could duplicate the original combs. After removing the existing pins from both sides of the organ section of the cylinder, Dwight started making the needed 6,000 replacement pins he would painstakingly reinsert. The cylinder was then refilled with cement and the diameter was ground to its original size.
ÒIt feels good that we were able to save something so rare and original,Ó Dwight said. ÒThe cylinder took six weeks, six hours a day, six days a week with 1,000-watt halogen bulbs on either side to study where the pins were supposed to go. The radiation and heat from the lamps being so close to my face damaged my skin. I had to have it treated like skin cancer. I came out fine but looked like a lobster for a few weeks.Ó
The close examination revealed that the cylinder had hundreds of dress-maker pins driven in where pins had been damaged when incorrect springs were installed in the mechanism that controlled the singing bird. The section of the cylinder that controlled the bird contained 800 individual pins. The bellows that allow the bird to produce its melody had been painted all over with a black, tar-like paint. Rubber weather stripping cement was also used to stop leaks.
The bellows were completely disas.sembled. Many of the original boards were beyond salvage, so Dwight carefully measured, cut and replaced them, then recovered the bellows with new material and reassembled it. The valve system was a double action setup that caused many hours of frus.tration eliminating leaks, Dwight said.
The 11 wooden whistles were next to be examined and evaluated. Dwight found each whistle was cut too short. He would find no reason for this and determined that this meant the origi.nal tuning scale for the whistles was long gone. Again, Jack came to the rescue. Jack said the wooden whistle scale was even more difficult to figure out than the combs which they tackled later in the project.
The miniature singing bird was disassembled because the wings failed to open and close. It turned out the closing springs were missing and had to be replaced. The previous repairman had used gobs of solder on the wings to make them return. This caused the levers inside the bird to be bent and distorted. Many hours were spent repairing the bird and its external control system.
The original compensated governor had to be rebuilt. It comprised a heavy flywheel and spring-loaded fly weights designed to smooth the surface speed of the cylinder that would otherwise fluctuate under varying load. The weights had been incorrectly replaced with fixed vanes.
When it came time to recreate the musical combs, Dwight enlisted the help of a former toolmaker who manufactured hundreds of combs for his company years before. The new combs had tuning leads installed, then these were soldered to the original brass bases. The brass comb bases were then machined to the correct height and upwards angle of inclina.tion towards the pinned cylinder.
ÒOnce ready, I installed new damp.ers and tuned them,Ó Dwight said. ÒYou can imagine the anticipation of turning the cylinder for the first time. Well, letÕs say the excitement soon turned to pure panic. The tuning I had come up with sounded terrible. I called Jack Perron, who as many people know, arranged more than 900 tunes that were not previously on any music box for our modern-day Porter music boxes.Ó
Jack and Dwight made a video of the music box playing. They knew that the second tune on the cylinder should be the ÒTyrolean WaltzÓ from ÒWilliam Tell.Ó Dwight said Jack used his exper.tise and that knowledge to provide a complete tuning scale. Dwight found he needed to correct 23 teeth in the left comb after Jack revealed that one note had been skipped. All the pins were playing one note off. It was much the same situation in the right treble comb. After the retuning was completed, Dwight and Jack played the music box again. Pure heaven! The tuning came out perfectly and Dwight discovered he had voiced the combs correctly.
ÒWhile working on the bellows, I found a type of purple paper that I have only seen once before and that was on a LeCoultre box, which is why it makes me think that this box was also made by LeCoultre,Ó Dwight said. ÒWe can only identify three of the six tunes on the cylinder and would love to have people listen to the full six songs to see if they can identify the tunes for us.Ó
The format is a rare mandolin base. Dwight, who has a mandolin base music box in his own collection, said he feels like the music boxes were made by the same craftsman and the same arranger is responsible for the music.
ÒI felt we needed to continue this job until the music box sounded like it did when it was made in September of 1879,Ó Dwight said. ÒThe bellows had the date inside them and my mandolin base box was sold in Philadelphia on March 21, 1879, so it seems right. Al Zamba deserves an award for having the courage and foresight to have this true work of art saved and restored.Ó
The music box now plays and func.tions as it did when it was new and the bird sings happily in its foliage.
Additional photos and videos of the music box can be found posted to the MBSI Facebook group at this link, https://www.facebook.com/groups/mbsiforum.

Two sections of the cylinder during the restoration process.

Working on the tuning scale.

An original comb versus the new one now in place.

The bellows were in need of significant repair as can be seen in the photos above.

Flute pipes all cut too short for the proper bird sounds. The photo on the right shows the section of the cylinder with its pins, bridges and levers that operate the birdÕs movements and its pallets that supply air to its flute pipes.

The base for the birdÕs nest as received and then as restored to a working condition.

Control arms cleaned and then assembled into a compact grouping to be connected to the cylinder for input.

Various parts and pieces from the bird control mechanism after being cleaned and straightened.

The restoration of the bellows in progress.

Working on the bellows and stripping the bird down to its smallest bits for a thorough cleaning and repair.

The repaired compensated governor mechanism

Rebuilding and reattaching the combs to the base plate.

The box with glass dust lid closed showing the detailed case work.

Working with the bird is a delicate process. The end result with the bird ÒhabitatÓ is shown in the lower right photo.

The finished product on display in the authorÕs home. Below is a detail of the lid.

The scene in the top photo depicts the town of Geneva and Lake Geneva). This indicates the music box might have been manufactured in Geneva and possibly that the maker was one of the LeCoultre family members. Depending on the date of manufacture it could be either Franois Charles LeCoultre or his son, Charles Philippe LeCoultre

Turn about is fair play

By Mark Singleton
As some may appreciate, the grand format overture boxes built by Nicole Frres are considered to be amongst the best in quality cylinder boxes, in no part due to the often sublime perfor.mances of well-arranged classical music. Should we look a little closer, a small number of special examples of this type of music box may be observed enjoying a programme of music we would ordinarily not expect to find.
For the sake of this article we will be considering the music of one rather unique example in particular and, more importantly, looking at the incredible project it spawned which might be a first in mechanical music.
The box in question is the muse of intrepid German collector Walter Behrendt. A grand format fantasies and variations box that dates to circa 1865 and bears the serial No. 38303. The cylinder measures 41 centimeters by 10 centimeters, with 242 teeth on the comb. It plays two Celtic-themed pieces on four revolutions.
ÒMinstrel BoyÕÓ is a fantasy and variations on Irish folk music, with a highlighted excerpt of the song.
The second piece, ÒScottish Caledo.nian,Ó is a fantasy and variations on Scottish folk music.
Whilst discussing the box with Wolfgang Heilmann, Kantor and prin.ciple organist at St.GeorgÕs church in WalterÕs home town of Kandel, Germany, Walter mentioned how he dreamed of hearing this music performed on the piano. Unfortunately for Walter, with no known recording of the music, he was beginning to face the reality that his dream was unlikely to come true.
Wolfgang, however, having previ.ously worked with Walter on an earlier mechanical music recital at St.GeorgÕs (see Vol. 67, No. 6, November-De.cember 2021 Mechanical Music), recommended the services of George Collier, a gifted young man who specialises in creating transcriptions of extraordinary musical perfor.mances. (georgecolliermusic.com)
This was no easy feat given the complexity of the music, but George masterfully rose to the occasion. With the transcript of the music arranged for a piano duet on the table, it quickly became apparent that the music on Nicole Frres No. 38303 was a little bit special indeed.
An exciting decision was soon made to incorporate a recital of the Irish fantasies ÒMinstrel BoyÓ on the music box followed immediately by the piano version as the featured performance at an annual musical event at St.GeorgÕs, brought forth with the dedication and passion of Dr. Thomas Scherb.
With the date set in the diary for the afternoon of Sunday, Jun. 25, 2023, excitement amongst those involved in this unique project grew. On the day of the event, a sweltering summer heat was tempered by the cool inte.rior of St.GeorgÕs, creating a relaxed atmosphere as around 100 people took to the pews. Amongst those in attendance was president of Musi.ca-Mechanica Ralf Smolne, along with fellow member Hildulf Kaiser, who, along with his partner, kindly offered their expertise in producing audio and visual recordings of the performances.
After a warm welcome and intro.duction by Wolfgang, the afternoon started with the Kantor playing a selection of music on the historically important church organ. Built in 1842 by master organ builder Joseph Stiehr, this organ is considered a rare and extremely valuable example of Alsatian organ building from the Rhineland-Palatinate.
Included in WolfgangÕs performance, and serving as a welcome appetizer for what we were about to receive, were two separate pieces by Joseph Haydn, ÒStŸck fŸr ein Flštenwerk in einer UhrÓ This was music specially written for mechanical flute clocks. Devoid of the usual chattering of the key frame and whirring of the fly, a most ethereal performance floated magically in the air.
Moving onto the main event, Walter took the microphone and, as the ever dedicated ambassador of mechanical music, took time to explain the ethos of the project to those congregated.
The atmosphere was tense in anticipation. You could literally have heard a pin drop as the box was set in motion. The most incredible tonal structure of the combs sang out with a clear liquid resonance, no doubt bris.tling the hairs on many necks during its flawless performance.
As the resulting applause began to fade, those congregated had just enough time to catch their breath before Wolfgang and Dr. Scherb sat before a rather smart August Fšrster vintage grand, stretching their fingers in readiness. A hush descended, the atmosphere instantly recharging and within a moment they were off. The intro music was soft and sonorous before settling into a beautiful Irish lilt. The wow factor grew exponentially as the tempo increased and moved into variations of ÒThe Minstrel Boy,Ó all carried along beautifully through to the finale.
It was a most spectacular perfor.mance, bringing everyone to their feet for a rapturous and well-deserved round of applause that threatened to bring the roof crashing down.
Walter allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at the realization of his dream. The music on the piano proved not only a great success but sounded exactly how he dreamt it would.
It was a complete role reversal. The boundaries of our interest were pushed by Walter to take the music out of a mechanical music instrument and have it performed live by musi.cians. An incredible amount of hard work and energy went into this most memorable day.
At the conclusion of the event, Walter heartily thanked Wolfgang Heilmann, Dr. Thomas Scherb and George Collier for their help and input as all of them made the event possible.
Thanks were later offered to Hildulf Kaiser for producing a very profes.sional film about the event and also to Ralf Smolne for his hard work on the day.
Notes about the song ÒMinstrel Boy:Ó
The minstrel boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death youÕll find him
His fatherÕs sword he hath girded on
And his wild harp slung behind him
ÒLand of SongÓ cried the warrior bard
ÒThoÕ all the world betrays thee
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard
One faithful harp shall praise theeÓ
The minstrel fell but the foemanÕs chain
Could not bring that proud soul under
The harp he lovÕd neÕer spoke again
For he tore its chords asunder
And said, No chains shall sully thee
Thou soul of love and bravÕry
Thy songs were made for the pure and free
They shall never sound in slavery
Written by the poet and songwriter Thomas Moore (1779-1852), and first published in 1813, ÒMinstrel BoyÓ is a patriotic song that is widely believed to be in remembrance of his (MooreÕs) friends that were killed in the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
Perhaps it is as poignant today more than 200 years later.
Notes about the music. The song is set to the Medieval Irish air of ÒThe MoreenÓ (Gaelic: Mo’r’n) believed to honour an early Irish queen. A little research shows a queen by the name of Muirenn (reign 694Ð701). Digging a little deeper, we find she could have been named after a mermaid caught by fishermen approximately a century earlier. (Mo’r’na/Marina) With so many derivatives of the word, Irish Gaelic and anglicised, whoever or whatever, she was obviously of deep-rooted cultural importance to be steeped in folklore for around 1,500 years.
Another arrangement can be found in MozartÕs Flute Quartet K. 298 at https://youtu.be/4QXYSnvkcVQ
Now revived with an arrangement for piano, taken from a 160-year-old music box, itÕs proving itself quite timeless. Watch here: https://youtu.be/rHGU8kjD8H4 or please scan the QR code below to watch the video and listen to this unique presentation.

Walter Behrendt with the Nicole Frres grand format cylinder box in his home.

Picturesque St.GeorgÕs church in Kandel, Germany.

Walter with Ralf Smolne inside St. GeorgÕs church.

The Joseph Stiehr organ, built circa 1842.

Kantor Wolfgang Heilmann welcomes attendees to the event.

Walter explains the project to the assembled guess with the music box behind him.

Dr. Thomas Scherb and Wolfgang Heilmann in full flow. The inset shows a vintage illustration of the Minstrel Boy with harp oÕer shoulder.

More moments from the most recent MBSI Annual Meeting

The 2023 MBSI Annual Meeting in St. Paul, MN, had many fantastic sights to see, so many, in fact, that they didnÕt all fit into our last journal. So, weÕve decided to feature some of those moments here to give you some of the flavor from the main entertainment session at the convention along with scenes from several of the member home visits that happened in the days after the convention concluded. We hope you enjoy these extras from the meeting. Perhaps it will inspire you not to miss the next one!

World-famous magician Frederick Baisch asks amateur magician and MBSI Trustee Rick Swaney to sign a $10 bill and hand it over during the Saturday evening banquet.

Frederick impresses MBSI Trustee Rich Poppe with a card trick.

No more $10 bill!

Rick gets his signed $10 bill back at the end of the show. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

MBSI Trustee Mary Ellen Myers reacts to one of FrederickÕs jokes during the performance.

Ed Copeland provides details on the Wurlitzer theatre organ in Lawrence CrawfordÕs home.

Guests enjoy the music room at Ralph and Carol SchultzÕs home in Belle Plain, MN.

Lawrence and Phyllis CrawfordÕs music room in Gaylord, MN, contains the music box collection of LawrenceÕs parents who were founding members of the society and a Wurlitzer theater organ at the end of the room. (Photos by B Bronson)

Ralph Schultz plays his Stinson band organ for visitors. (Photo by B Bronson)

A replica Wurlitzer 105 band organ built by Bernard Gaffron of New Brighton, MN. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Bernard Gaffron demonstrates an unusual reed organette in his collection. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Linda Birkitt talks with Bernard Gaffron about his carousel horse carving. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Carousel horses on display at Bernard and Norma GaffronÕs home. (Photo by Edward Cooley)

Ron Olson and his collection that focuses on reproducing pianos in his wonderfully-appointed home. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

MBSI Trustee Rich Poppe plays various instruments in his collection housed in St. Paul, MN. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

Automatic musical instruments including disc and cylinder music boxes, cob roller organs and an Aeolian Orchestrelle in Rich PoppeÕs collection. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

A cylinder music box from Rich PoppeÕs collection. (Photos by Edward Cooley)

A Mills Violano in Rich PoppeÕs collection.

A tour guide displays a photo of notorious gangsters hiding out in St. Paul, MN. At right, she takes the group on a tour of the underground tunnels they used as a speakeasy to entertain invited guests including local politicians and law enforcement.

Marian Sanfilippo Ð Mar. 25, 1935ÑDec. 3, 2023

Compiled from internet sources
It is with great sorrow that the Sanfilippo Foundation announces the passing of Marian Sanfilippo on Dec. 3.
Wife of the late Jasper Sanfilippo (2020) and mother of five children, Marian was the catalyst of the Sanfilippo familyÕs use of their private collection of automatic music instru.ments for charitable fund raising. For decades, Marian was a smiling presence at the front door welcoming hundreds of guests at each event into the familyÕs home for Theater Organ Concerts and Gala Charity events. Over the years this loving effort has amounted to well over $25 million raised for local, regional, and national charities.
Marian and Jasper attended nearly every event for years, often holding hands during the concerts. She loved to feed guests, and was quick to share laughs and attention with all she came in contact with. Marian and the warmth she shared freely will be in our hearts forever.
Marian attended Providence High School in Chicago, IL, and was a 1956 graduate of DePaul University. She worked as a second-grade school.teacher. Marian married the love of her life, Jasper B. Sanfilippo at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Chicago in July 1956.
She raised five wonderful children while supporting her husbandÕs business ambitions and his passion for collecting music machines and steam engines. Together, they shared a commitment to philanthropy by open.ing their home to host events to raise funds for nonprofit organizations. Marian was a devout Catholic and she loved her parish, Saint Anne Catholic Community. She also made time to get involved in helping several charitable organizations, including Arden Shore and the Michael Joseph Foundation.
She is survived by her children, John (Susan), Jim, Jeffrey (Rusty), Lisa, and Jasper (Laura) Sanfilippo; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, her brother, and nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Anne Catholic Commu.nity, 120 N. Ela St., Barrington, IL 60010.

Our Condolences
It is with great sadness that the Southern California Chapter reports Bob Lloyd passed away Nov. 13, after a long illness. Bob and Diane Lloyd were members of MBSI and the chapter for many decades and hosted many meetings in their lovely home. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Diane who looked after Bob with such love and devotion over 69 years of marriage. Please look for an In Memoriam article with more about Bob in our next issue.
In addition, MBSI has learned the following members have recently passed away: Janet Grossman on Aug. 3, 2023; Hellen Mueller; and Howard Sanford on Apr. 27, 2023.

Nickel Notes

By Matthew Jaro

Music Roll Perforating Machines, Part 3

Acme Herschell Black Beauty perforator. (Photo courtesy Dennis Reed, Jr.)

In this series, I am covering three types of machines: home machines for making single rolls manually, industrial machines for mass roll production and modern machines made by producers of recut rolls.
Industrial Machines
The Acme Perforator
The most important industrial machine was the Acme perforator, made by the Acme Newark Machine Works, Inc. on Monroe Street in Newark, NJ. According to the docu.mentation, the machine can perforate 16 sheets at one time at a speed of from three to six feet per minute depending upon the style of perforating desired. In other words, from 48 feet to 96 feet of music roll per minute. The sheets are trimmed to the correct width as the notes are being perforated.
ItÕs hard to find out anything of the history, but here are some tidbits.
In Australia, the Mastertouch Piano Roll Company in Sydney, had many Acme perforators. For a long time, they were one of two roll companies still in business (QRS is the only survivor). In 2005 the termination of the business was announced by the Australian Broadcasting Company. The company had been founded in 1919.
Ed Sprankle wrote in the AMICA Bulletin about visiting Rollo Mexico in 1971 and seeing an Acme perforator there making custom rolls and recuts.
Tom Wurdeman had an Acme perfo.rator in his home.
Acme made a machine for recording pipe organs by punching a master roll.
In the July/August 1995 edition of the AMICA Bulletin, there is an arti.cle by Don Rand who used an Acme perforator to make his brand of Clark Orchestral Roll recuts. Eddie Freyer had an Acme perforator and when he died, the perforator was bought by the Miner Manufacturing Company. Don Rand bought the Acme from Miner. In addition, Don stumbled on three 88-note perforators and lost no time in purchasing them. The article is extensive and contains many pictures of industrial perforators of all kinds.
John Malone, founder of the Play-Rite Company, got an Acme perforator up and running in the 1960s.
The Wurlitzer Perforator
Wurlitzer had its own perforating equipment. In the April 2001 issue of Carousel Organ, Matthew Caul.field wrote an article entitled ÒHow Wurlitzer Rolls are Made.Ó Wurlitzer used cardboard master rolls with sprocket holes to securely register the position. The paper would be slit to the proper width by a special slitting machine before going into the perfo.rator. The article explains the steps in punching a note with the perforator.
Each cycle of the perforator causes these sequential actions:
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The indexing rods are drawn back, so none protrude through holes in the master into the steel drum.

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This causes the interposers to return to non-punching position.

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The ram lifts all punches out of the paper layers.

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Then the master advances by one increment and the roll-paper layer advances by an increment approximately one-third as long.

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Then the indexing rods are let go forward to either rest on the master cardboard or to protrude through one of the holes in it.

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The punch-driven ram with the drum above the interposers corresponding to any indexing rods that now protrude into the steel drum are thereby shifted to punch position.

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Finally, the ram descends to drive those punch pins and rises again, pulling them out of the paper layer.

One interesting issue is maintaining the tempo of tunes throughout the roll when playing in a real instrument. As the roll winds through the tunes, the diameter of the roll on the take-up spool increases, thereby increasing the tempo. Unlike the Acme perforator, the Wurlitzer perforator automatically compensates for the diameter of the take-up spool. Wurlitzer added a very long worm gear between the arm that drives the tractor gear and the tractor gear itself so that, as the perforator goes through hundreds of thousands of cycles required to punch out a 10-tune roll, the advance increment of the tractor is being increased by a tiny amount at each cycle. In the Acme perforator, fixed gears are used to advance the paper. Generally, users of the Acme machine would have to change gears after tune three and six. The Wurlitzer system results in a punched roll where the tempo of the tunes is constant over the whole roll.
No one knows exactly who built the Wurlitzer perforators, but it was certainly not Acme, since Wurlitzer used an entirely mechanical system and Acme used pneumatics. Patents involving the perforator were granted to Wurlitzer and Eugene deKleist (with automatic tempo adjustment).
The Moller Organ Company of Hagerstown, MD, had a perforator to make their ÒArtisteÓ pipe organ rolls. The system seems fairly like the Wurlitzer system, with cardboard master rolls with sprocket holes and an interposer system.
Wurlitzer roll production went from Wurlitzer to Ralph Tussing to Doyle Lane to Play-Rite to Don Rand and then to The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. When Ed Gaida visited Play-Rite, he saw hundreds of master rolls stacked on end as far as the eye can see.
The Morse Report
Ed Gaida told me about a very important document that was published in the May 1977 AMICA Bulletin. This was entitled ÒImperial Ð Duo-ART Ð AMPICO Perforator Study.Ó
In 1955 John Morse, president of Morse Controls Corporation became interested in the technology of music roll perforation. He visited Aeoli.an-American and got there just before the junk man. He bought four Ampico production perforators, two Duo-Art production perforators and the entire stock of Ampico master rolls. He was told later, however, that he could not have the master rolls.
Because of this acquisition, Morse became acquainted with Max Kort.lander, head of QRS. Morse performed a study of the differences between the three perforator systems so that QRS could modernize its facility by design.ing a new system that incorporates the best of all three systems. Morse called the current QRS system the Imperial. It seems that the Imperial system was devised by Ernest G. Clark in 1915 (later of Clark Orchestra Roll Company, which made nickelodeon rolls).
The original Duo-Art machines came from earlier than 1911 and were under a patent from Wurlitzer and Eugene deKleist. It is entirely possible that the Duo-Art machines were built by Wurlitzer.
The Ampico machines came under patents by Charles Stoddard (inventor of the Ampico system). The machines were bought in 1915 or 1916 when Ampico first started cutting its own rolls. The machines were made by the Taft-Pierce manufacturing Company, a contract machinery company. Taft-Pierce ceased business in 1995.
The Morse report goes into detail about all these machines including complete explanations of their operation.
Morse Controls became a very large company, with 600 people employed and revenue of $12 million. In 1970, the company was sold to Rockwell International.
Modern Machines
The Carl Lambie Perforator
Carl Lambie designed and built his own music roll perforator and scan.ner. I asked Carl how he got started in mechanical music. He said he went to a one-room grade school and they had a player piano on its last legs. This was in 1946. Carl always wanted a player piano, but his mom said, ÒThey sound tinny.Ó Now he has a studio upright and a Haines Brothers Player Piano from 1918.
Carl was intrigued with the idea of cutting rolls himself and started experimenting. He first tried to copy single holes and tried many exper.iments. If you made a mistake you would have a hundred mistakes! His perforator has 100 channels making it practically the only machine that can cut Seeburg Style H rolls. He started doing this back in the late 1960s! He got out of the Air Force in 1967 and had time to do a little tinkering when he wasnÕt working as an electrician. Carl bought a drill press and a small lathe. He tried twice to build his own solenoids, but they were unreliable because they were like the solenoids you would find in a doorbell. Then he got some relay magnets out of a junk Wicks organ. With those he also went with a variation of the interposer design from what he understood to be the Wurlitzer Harp recording perfora.tor. He laid out the die spacing using 5/16 by 18 threaded rods (two turns for nine per inch and three turns for six per inch). His punches are circular. He was able to print the labels using a dot-matrix printer and a Radio Shack TRS-80 color computer and a little graphics program. Once Carl got the computer stuff settled, it still took three tries to get a reliable perforator.
The first batch of rolls were punched one-to-one and scanned pneumat.ically from a home-made tracker bar. He used Hall Effect devices for the switches. He wrote a computer program to match switch numbers to notes. The scanning worked as follows Ð air entering the tracker bar from a hole in the roll would move a pouch, which would move a magnet. Hall Effect devices switch in the presence of a magnetic field. The switching would control the punch solenoids directly.
Later, Carl added a MIDI system. His midi sequencer program (Cakewalk 4.0 on MS-DOS) can use an external device to synchronize the scanned file and the punching. The scanner and punch are both controlled by a TRS-80 color computer. Carl had to learn some assembler programming language for the Motorola 6809 micro.processor used in the color computer. He obtained a diagram of a Teledyne electric piano and used that to help him put the electronics together. He has never had to sharpen the dies. Carl doesnÕt have to vacuum the rolls after punching. He has a roll of very heavy paper that he uses as a bottom copy. This makes a clean cut and protects the punches. It takes about seven hours to cut a Seeburg Style H roll.
Carl got intrigued with 10-tune rolls. He went to the Minneapolis-St. Paul AMICA convention and tried to sell rolls. Nobody bought them. Bob Gilson came along and introduced Carl to Dave Ramey, Sr., who wanted to start the first H roll project. This was in 1987. As luck would have it, Carl built the system wide enough to accommodate the 15.-inch-wide rolls. He did this because he knew about H rolls and thought, Òif you are building a perforator, why not go full width?Ó It seems that Carl was practically the only one to have had the foresight to do this. He uses cassette tapes to store the machine language programs. The computer did have a disk drive, but Carl had to use that slot to control the electronics, so he had to use tape. When he added MIDI capability, Carl studied the MIDI specs. Roger Morri.son in Ohio got Carl started with that. He chose the difficult route to MIDI because he encoded it in such a way that he could play it on the synthesizer.
Carl has built a perforator for pipe organ rolls having the characteristics of 12-to-the-inch, which is two rows of six-to-the-inch, offset, and spaced . inch apart vertically.
Carl says it works fine but is diffi.cult dealing with when oneÕs eyes are getting old.
John Malone and
the Play-Rite Company
John Malone is one of the true pioneers in the manufacture of music rolls for collectors. Every hobbyist that has a nickelodeon or a European orchestrion or a Wurlitzer band organ should know the name Play-Rite.
Beginnings
I asked John how he got interested in mechanical music. He said he had a military jeep (World War II model). He was driving down the highway and he ran over a big coil of manila truck rope. He had a neighbor that was in the trucking business and John traded the rope for an old Waltham 88-note player piano. This was in 1958. John rebuilt the player piano with the help of some local technicians who had worked in the factories where they built the player pianos in the 1920s. He was able to restore it.
John noticed that the music rolls he would buy would have many manufac.turing defects. The rolls wouldnÕt track right, they were crooked, the paper wasnÕt sheared accurately. During this time John started rebuilding pianos for other people through some of the local music stores and technicians and often the customers would complain about problems. These would almost always turn out to be the rolls. This is when John got interested in manufac.turing the rolls himself.
John started by finding an Acme roll perforating machine that was used in a funeral home. They manufactured music for their player organs. The organist would play the music slowly through a keyboard working a set of Reisner electromagnets which would control the perforator. The funeral home no longer had any need of this and sold it. It was a nine-to-the-inch, 124-channel heavy cast iron perfo.rator. Before the funeral home, the machine was owned by the Staffnote Music Roll Co., which also had a Playrite line of music rolls. From this, John took the name Play-Rite for his company.
Growing the Business
From the beginning of the business, John had his mother manufacture the rolls while John worked in the electronics industry for almost 20 years. His mother died in 2005 but kept working up until that time. The electronics shop where John worked was very diverse, getting into color television, medical electronics and motion picture soundtracks. In Octo.ber 1984, John started working at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where he still works at the age of 76. He commutes 105 miles in each direction!
The first roll Play-Rite produced was a style O roll for Durrell ArmstrongÕs Player Piano Company. Business was great making rolls for Armstrong for many years. There was no competition in the O roll market except for Larry Givens, who made a few. Larry Givens had an Ampico perforator, which he eventually sold to Richard Groman of Keystone Music Rolls.
John decided to expand into carou.sel organ music rolls, so he made a new die set with Wurlitzer spacing. The Acme perforator is basically a punch press, with a ram that goes up and down. It is easy to change dies. The first customers for band organ rolls were KnottÕs Berry Farm and Ross Davis. Ross owned the Lincoln Park and the Griffith Park carousels and had Wurlitzer 165 band organs in Los Angeles, CA. Ross would sell rolls to many parks. Glenn Thomas now owns the Lincoln Park organ. During this period Ralph Tussing was respon.sible for making many band organ rolls. John had many conversations with him, where Tussing asserted that it would be impossible to make band organ rolls if you didnÕt use the Wurlitzer stencil master system. Obviously, John disproved this. Allan Herschell made rolls for a while and destroyed most of the masters. Using the Wurlitzer system was very labo.rious and time-consuming. John had most of the Wurlitzer equipment and eventually sold it to Don Rand who in turn sold it to the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda, NY.
Don Rand
I mentioned to John that Don Rand had an Acme perforator he got from Ed Freyer. I stated that one curious feature of the Rand rolls was the fact that the holes are smaller than normal. John said, Don had no delay between punching and advancing and consequently over-punched holes. With smaller dies, you could get away with this. I also mentioned that the paper was not centered in the Rand rolls. John said that this is because the perforator was not all original Acme. The paper shearing was done by rotary knives (which were never used by Acme). They were never set correctly, and this remained a common problem with both Ed Freyer and Don Rand (Clark) rolls.
Harold Powell
Harold Powell called John about making reproducing piano rolls. Harold had an exclusive arrangement with Play-Rite for Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte rolls for about 10 years. Before this, Powell tried to make his own rolls and found out what a difficult undertaking that would be. Some of the master stencils had never been edited for production and so there were a lot of mistakes. After the Powell era, John made reproducing rolls for everyone, including Frank Adams in Seattle, WA, and Ray Siou.
Ray Siou
Ray got started in the roll business by going to the Play-Rite factory and taking rolls from the trash cans.
Play-Rite would use 50-pound brown paper to place under the last copy to make the holes clean. These rolls would then be thrown out and Ray Siou would pick them from the trash and sell them. This, of course, violated the exclusivity agreement with Harold Powell. Ray Siou had to stop selling the reproducing rolls.
Ray Siou subsequently ordered G, A, and 4-X nickelodeon rolls from Play-Rite. He would package and sell them. Ray would also sell rolls to Paul Gottschalk for resale. John said he never really had an interest in selling individual rolls. This is true to this day, where Play-Rite specializes in doing recutting projects for sale by other parties. Ray started selling rolls in the early 1970s and went into the year 2000. I remarked that Ray sold the rolls cheaply. John said that Ray only marked-up the rolls by about a dollar from what he paid Play-Rite. Ray really wanted to get a copy of the music for himself and figured that this was a good way to do it. Ray really provided a great service to collectors by making all that music available. Ray knew most of the collectors and was able to borrow original rolls for recutting.
A funny attribute of Ray Siou was that with each order of rolls he would throw-in additional items. For exam.ple, I got a videotape of the Play-Rite company in action. IÕm sending this tape to John who doesnÕt have any archival information like this. Ray would also pack cassette tapes.
I mentioned that Play-Rite did everything except style H rolls. John said that they have the dies and the machine to do them, but only got orders for Wurlitzer R pipe organ rolls.
A Fire and New Opportunities
Play-Rite had a fire in 1997 which destroyed their inventory of 88-note and reproducing rolls and the machin.ery to print the words on the rolls. Fortunately, no perforating equipment was damaged. Due to JohnÕs motherÕs advancing age, he moved the perfora.tor to her house several years before the fire. Play-Rite had so much work to do cutting European orchestrion rolls, that they were kept very busy. European projects included Popper, Hupfeld Helios, Hupfeld Phonoliszt, Hupfeld Pan, Weber Maesto, and Weber Unika rolls. Also, projects were executed for Wurlitzer PianOrchestra, APP (Automatic Player Piano) and Pianino rolls and roll conversions to various types.
Perforating Machinery
I asked John to describe his current machines. He said, first, they all have interchangeable die sets. He would try to build the die sets, so he could put them in any machine, providing that they were not too wide for the narrow machines.
The first machine is a narrow machine used to cut all the Wurlitzer band organ, APP rolls, O rolls and player piano rolls. ItÕs 80 percent of an original Acme, with John building the rest from scratch. This came from J. Lawrence Cook, who took scrap parts home after QRS would acquire a perforator that they did not need. ThatÕs how Cook built his own perfo.rator and John got the stuff left over that Cook didnÕt use.
The second machine is a copy of an Acme but wider and heavier and was built from scratch. The perforator has a tracker bar attached to read the rolls being copied. The pneumatic reader goes through electronics where all the data is serialized and breaks out into parallel again to operate the indexing magnets. There is a 128-channel shift register. The punch has an optical sensor so that for each revolution, the entire shift register is scanned to see which channels are on and which are off. The step rate is 15 thousandths of an inch and the advance speed is four feet a minute. The crank shaft is spinning 3,000 revolutions per minute. The machine is dynamically balanced using flywheels and weights. The heavy roller bearings are all lubricated with a mist lubricator. This machine will cut 15.-inch Wurlitzer R pipe organ rolls.
The third machine is the Acme perforator that came from the Staff.note Company (via the funeral home). This machine still has the original Acme decals on it. The machine still runs at the original 70 RPM and has the original indexing system with Reisner magnets controlling the indexing.
The machines have been run for 30 plus years without any issues on the bearings. The electronics were designed by Bill Flint and John. The electronics provide the appropriate delay to avoid overpunching. Chain bridging is generated in the electron.ics rather than from the original rolls. Buffering allows the electronics to anticipate the chain bridging. The perforators have individual vacuum bars to assure clean rolls. In addition, the rolls would be individually vacu.umed as they were spooled.
The original Acme machine still has Mills Violano dies installed. The Mills project ran for 15 years. The narrow machine is used for Wurlitzer band organ rolls and the wide machine is currently being used for Hupfeld Phonoliszt rolls.
Paper
I asked John about the paper he uses. He said it was from Crown Zellerbach and it is Deli Wrap. This paper had wet strength which made the paper water resistant for wrap.ping up meat. The fiber orientation determines the strength of the paper. You can turn off the fiber shaker when the paper is manufactured. The fibers are such that the paper will tear a lot easier in one direction than the other. Plastic coated papers werenÕt successful since Play-Rite punches 16 sheets at one time and the holes in the plastic-coated paper would close up on themselves. Punched holes tended to be the largest at the top and the bottom of the stack, getting smaller in the middle.
Labels
Play-Rite uses rubber stamps bought when John was in grade school to print the tune numbers on the rolls during the spooling process. In the last 10 years, Play-Rite hasnÕt had to print labels. This is left to the customer.
Earlier, the company did print labels. It had linotype machinery and a Ludlow machine for bigger type, and then it went to a photographic process and finally, the modern computer stuff.
Play-Rite can read MIDI files using Cakewalk software, but the company runs them through its own electronics to get the chain bridging, etc.
All projects are pre-sold, and all 16 copies are accounted for. John has private copies of band organ rolls and APP rolls, but no other formats.
Miscellaneous
JohnÕs wife, Gloria, designed their building which is in a French gothic style with battlements and a draw bridge. This is currently their factory. You can see the building by using Google Maps to search for 1536 N. Palm Street, Turlock, CA, 95380.
John currently has a replica of a Wurlitzer 165 band organ. Johnny Verbeeck made the pipes copying the Wurlitzer layout. John added a set of 16-foot sub bass pipes. Pipe voicing was done by Martin Conrads of Holland last year, after the organ settled down. John had an original 165 for many years, but he sold it to Arnold Chase. John also has a test machine to play Wurlitzer Automatic Player Piano (APP) rolls. ItÕs designed in such a way that John can test either the five-tune or the 10-tune rolls without changing the spool box. He has a Seeburg E to test A rolls.
The Gerety/Nielson
Laser Perforator
One of the most innovative perfora.tors is the laser perforator designed and built by Gene Gerety for Don Nielson. This was used by Frank Himpsl for his Valley Forge Music Roll Company which started in May 2004. The great advantage of the laser perfo.rator is that single copies of any roll in any format can be made on demand.
Beginnings
Gene was fascinated by player pianos at a young age, but never had one. Then one day, a friend was moving and didnÕt want the piano. Gene wanted to rebuild it. He started reading Art ReblitzÕs book on Player Piano Servicing and Rebuilding. He also read a lot of Mechanical Music Digest (https://www.mmdigest.com/) articles. His piano was a disaster. Mice had gotten into it. He persevered, however, and did Òa passable job.Ó Gene says itÕs amazing what people were able to do in the 1920s. In fact, Gene used a 150-year-old idea Ð the strap tensioner Ð to keep the paper taut in his laser perforator. It keeps a constant tension on the paper no matter what the diameter of the roll is.
Roll Scanning
Gene stumbled on a roll scanning group, got interested and designed a wonderful scanner. He built five scan.ners and sold components, so people could make their own scanners. Of the five scanners, Frank Himpsl got two and Jack Breen got one. Gene says they scanned so many rolls that he is amazed that the motors havenÕt worn out. The whole venture was a financial disaster. Gene put in far too much time and money for the return received. In retrospect, Gene said he shouldnÕt have tried to sell components but only complete scanners. Further, Gene said that the designers of the controller chip had made a mistake which was undocumented and caused Gene quite a bit of grief. He used contact image sensors in his scanners. Gene wanted to go wide (up to 22 inches) so he could scan anything. Gene used two sensor bars with a significant overlap. Gene had to write software to match up the two images and remove the overlap.
The First Laser Perforator
The idea of a laser perforator came about because Don Nielson wanted a way of perforating any roll, no matter what the format. Gene went to the 2001 MBSI convention in Maryland. They toured Don NielsonÕs museum and Gene met Frank Himpsl there. Frank was GeneÕs interface to Don. Gene would show Frank the progress on the scanner. After the scanner, Gene started working on laser perforators.
The first perforator had a gantry type of arrangement where the light from a fixed laser is guided by a movable gantry-mounted head to burn the holes. This worked well but was too slow for an actual production machine. It was also underpowered. It was a great exercise because Gene got the kinks worked out of a lot of design issues.
The laser would cut a 12-inch ÒpanelÓ of a roll at one time before advancing to the next 12-inch panel. The paper would be stationary when a panel was being cut. There had to be overlaps between each panel to make sure nothing was missed. Also, a hole could span panels and had to be cut without any jags. The paper transport was the most difficult aspect of the project. Paper metering and alignment accuracy was critical, in part because of the decision to cut the rolls in panels. The panels must line up with each other. The gantry arrangement was constantly in motion so overall speed was an issue, taking several hours to punch an A roll.
The Second Laser Perforator
The first laser perforator was canni.balized to make the current machine. For example, parts of the feed system were kept. The new laser was basically a fixed Laser which was pointed at mirrors. The low-mass mirrors would move, directing the beam anywhere on the paper bed. The mirrors are moved very rapidly. However, the major prob.lem with this system is that depending upon where the mirrors are pointing, the light can reach the paper at a variety of angles and path lengths. At steeper angles circles become ovals. As the path length changes, the laser focus must be adjusted, and numerous complex geometric corrections must be made. Gene had to compensate for all of this in programming the position of the laser. The trick in a laser cutter is not to burn the paper but to vaporize it. Hit it hard and hit it fast. The paper will just disappear where the laser is, and you donÕt scorch the edges. The current laser did the job but had just barely enough power to cut without scorching, especially near the edges. The use of dry wax craft paper made the situation worse, because this paper really wants to burn. In retro.spect, Gene said they should have used a 100-watt laser instead of the 50-watt unit they chose. To prevent fires, Gene had to create a high-speed laminar air flow across the paper to carry the combustible gases away so fast that they couldnÕt flash over.
Gene is currently working on a PhD in computer science and is 65 years old. He works for Philips/Respironics designing medical equipment.

Second diagram of Acme perforator.

Acme perforator diagram.

Two images of the original Wurlitzer perforator at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, North Tonawanda, NY. (Photos courtesy Dennis Reed, Jr.)

Carl Lambie punch (above) and scanner (below). (Photos courtesy Dennis Reed, Jr.)

Johnny Verbeeck (left) and John Malone (right).

Front of wide perforator.

John MaloneÕs first Acme machine.

Back of build-up perforator.

Build-up machine from parts.

John MaloneÕs pneumatic to electric converter.

A paper rack used in the roll-making process.

An overlay of an original roll and the copy punched in the machine.

Wurlitzer red paper roll being cut.

Front view of the perforator during debugging. Supply roll on left and feeder roll on right. You can see the leather strap tensioner draped over the supply roll and its weight hanging to the left of the supply roll. In addition to perforating, the laser slits the paper to the proper width. The paper falls to the floor after it comes out of the feeder. Later, a take-up spool with a Òdroop-loopÓ was installed to spool the finished paper onto the roll core. An acrylic shield protects the operator from stray reflected light from the laser and prevents physical access. The shield has a motorized lift that allows it to be raised when the laser is not operating.

Clockwise from top left: The paper under tension in the cutting area, and entering the wide rollers of the feeder at the right. The supply roll, strap tensioner, and cutting area. The perfo.rator from the supply roll side, showing a piece of a test cut draped over the left side of the frame. The first perforator.

Email Matt Jaro at mjaro@verizon.net if you would like any information about style ÒAÓ, ÒGÓ, Ò4XÓ, ÒHÓ or ÒOÓ rolls. Also, comments and suggestions for this column will be appreciated.
Reprinted with permission of the author and The Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association (AMICA). Originally printed in the May/June 2018 issue of The AMICA Bulletin.

The first scanner.

Frank Himpsl operating the laser perforator.

East Coast Chapter

Chapter Chair: Elise Low
Reporter: Elise Low
Photographers: Brooks Low,
Bill and Carolee Wineburgh
Oct. 22, 2023 Ñ Westwood and Wayland, MA.
Our prediction of a good turnout for a Massachusetts event proved true. Our third in-person meeting of the year brought 30 members, family and friends together from five states. One couple drove 380 miles to attend!
A main draw was Ken and Sandy GoldmanÕs extensive mechanical music and ephemera collection in their home in Westwood. They have many large items, including three automata and posters related to magic and music. KenÕs backstories regard.ing several of his grand musical finds were especially appreciated before we heard them play.
Mechanical instruments of special note were: several Reginas, including a gum-vending model; a Symphonion ÒEroicaÓ; a Gueissaz, Fils & Cie Grand Orchestral interchangeable cylinder box; a large Hupfeld orchestrion with a rare remote starter; a Libellion; a Hupfeld Phonoliszt Violina Model A with duplex roll changer (one of two known); two PhilippsÐPaganini orchestrions: one is a Model 3 Pianella that plays 130-note rolls; and the final highlight of our tour: a Welte Style 6 Concert Orchestrion playing the famil.iar ÒLargoÓ from HandelÕs Xerxes.
We spent the afternoon at Jean Milburn and Roger WiegandÕs home and workshop in Wayland. After lunch, we had a close-up encounter with an Arburo dance organ that Roger recently restored. Other items of special interest to our group were a Knabe Ampico ÒAÓ piano, a Mills Violano, and a 1933 Mills Zephyr juke.box that plays twelve 78 rpm records arranged on a ÒFerris-wheelÓ mech.anism. RogerÕs grandfather acquired it new and Roger grew up playing it. (It was restored by Dick Hack of the National Capital Chapter.)
RogerÕs superior Craftsman-style handiwork was seen throughout the house in beautiful furniture as well as windows and architectural trimmings. His spacious and well-equipped workshop allows him to make these items in addition to restoring player pianos and organs. The pile of flute pipes pictured belong to a cooperative project that he, Dave Cox, and Bob Yorburg are in the midst of building: six 31-ÓkeylessÓ hand-cranked organs.
We (and the neighbors) heard RogerÕs Diamond Jubilee Gavioli Carousel Organ play. He makes it available for local events and even drove it down to Maryland a while ago for a COAA rally.
We are ever grateful to collectors such as these who graciously share their prize possessions with us.

Ken Goldman describes his Hupfeld Orchestrion to the group.

The sectional comb in a fusŽe-driven cylinder musical box (maker unknown).

Ken played the Libellion before demonstrating the acrobatic automaton.

Ken prepares to play one of his two Philipps-Paganini orchestrions.

Young and old are listening intently!

A Blackamoor Fluteplayer automaton by Jean Roullet, c. 1870.

The Welte Style 6 Concert Orchestrion.

A Craftsman piece by Roger holds one of JeanÕs several artistic floral arrange.ments that harmonized with his fine woodworking.

Roger Wiegand with his recently restored Arburo dance organ.

RogerÕs Mills Violano and a Mills Zephyr jukebox sit side-by-side.

RogerÕs Gavioli Diamond Jubilee Carousel Organ.

Some of the 192 flute pipes for the six new hand-cranked organs.

Roger holds an experimental pouch board that uses springs rather than weights to close the pouches in an organ valve chest.

Watch videos of the Acrobatic Pig automaton, Blackamoor flute player automaton, Libellion and Welte Orchestrion by scanning the QR codes below with your smartphone, or type the web address into your favorite browser.

Acrobatic Pig Automaton

Blackamoor Flute Player

mbsi.org/acrobatic-pig-automaton/

mbsi.org/blackamoor-flute-player/

Libellion

Welte Orchestrion

mbsi.org/libellion/

mbsi.org/welte-orchestrion/

Southern California Chapter

Chapter Chair: Robin Biggins
Reporter: Robin Biggins
Photographer: Lowell Boehland
Sept. 30, 2023 Ñ Los Angeles, CA
What a wonderful meeting we had at the collection of magical artifacts at the business of John Gaughan & Associates. Hundreds of magiciansÕ instruments from the 1800s were on display, as well as reproductions and newly fabricated machines that are astounding to the uninformed audi.ences who are convinced that magic is real.
John and his employees have a worldwide reputation for the construction and restoration of magical items that are not part of any computerized visual fakes that can be used on television shows. They have been in business for many years before that.
Some 33 chapter members attended the meeting, and we were surprised by a rain shower that greeted us, but JohnÕs group quickly shut it off as if by magic!
We had about four hours of demon.strations that included automata and a live show with a young lady named Brandy, who disappeared inside a box, then after multiple swords had been stabbed through the box, was able to appear again unscathed! The photos are self-evident, so more space will be made to show the fascination we enjoyed in this report. A brief business meeting was held to vote on changes being made to our lineup of officers for our chapter.

Our host John Gaughan demonstrates a Peacock automaton that can magically select a known card from a deck.

John operates an early automaton.

Facing page, lower photo: The automaton Zoe was designed and constructed by John Nevil Maskelyne. She was first seen in 1876 following the success of his Psycho. Zoe is placed atop her stand, wound up and a writing implement is placed in her fingertips. She then draws a picture requested by the audience. This reconstruction was built in the 1980s for the Magic CollectorsÕ Association Meeting in Chicago. The original Zoe was operated by controls through the stage. This version uses MaskelyneÕs secret but can be operated without a trap door.

JohnÕs beautifully displayed magic collection.

John demonstrates his Clarinet Player automaton.

A handbill published in 1855 advertis.ing the demonstration of the ÒMusical WonderÓ Clarinet Player automaton at Dr. ChapinÕs Church on Broadway in Boston, MA.

The two photos at right show JohnÕs reconstruction of the Automaton Chess Player. Working backwards from engrav.ings, accounts, written descriptions and a paper Òchess boardÓ once used inside the original mechanism, John built his reproduction in 1989. It is an accurate recreation of the original-reproducing the movements, the mechanism and the astounding illusion. The case is shown ÒemptyÓ by demonstrating the motor inside, the board and pieces set atop the chest, and the clockwork wound. To all appearances, the machine plays a game of chess. It was featured at the First Conference on Magic History and has since been demonstrated for collector groups and on television documentaries.
Von Kempelen created the original Automaton in 1769 to impress Empress Maria Theresa. After his death it was sold to Johann Nepomuk Maelzel who toured Europe and America with the famous Turk.

A flyer for Zoe ÒPsychoÓ exhibit in the Egyptian Hall. Above it is a drawing of John Nevil Maskelyne made by Zoe.

The top photo shows the Houdini Automaton purportedly at his desk in New York City, circa 1922. Harry Houdini was a pas.sionate collector and magic historian throughout his career. From his desk he wrote thousands of letters to people around the world. This version of the automaton was recreated by John for The Los Angeles Conference on Magic History. The automaton signs Harry HoudiniÕs name on a sheet of paper.
The second photo shows JohnÕs reproduction of Q the Automaton. The original version of this automaton appeared as Harry HoudiniÕs adversary in the 1920 film ÒThe Master Mystery.Ó

Robin Biggins, Don Henry, Brandy and John Gaughan with Q the Automaton.

An example of the signature produced by the automaton.

Multiple swords are pushed through the box with Brandy inside.

John Gaughan and Brandy show off the swords before she climbs into the box.

Success! Brandy emerged and no blood was spilled!

Southern California Chapter members gathered in the workshop for a group photo.

Golden Gate Chapter

Chapter Chair: Judy Caletti
Reporter: David Corkrum
Photographer: Rob Thomas
Oct. 15, 2023 Ñ San Francisco, CA
The Golden Gate Chapter held a joint Fall meeting with the Founding Chapter of AMICA (Automatic Musical Instrument CollectorsÕ Association) at MusŽe MŽcanique in San Francisco, CA. The museum has no admission charge but is filled with many types of arcade games and amusements. It is located on Pier 45 and is next door to many fine seafood restaurants such as AlliotoÕs and the bakery known as Boudin which makes the famous sour.dough bread many of us in California know and love.
Dan Zelinsky owns MusŽe MŽcanique which he took over from his father. Stepping inside, you are greeted by ÒLaughing Sal,Ó a tall and large automaton which originally was stationed at the entrance to the Fun House at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco, near the famous Cliff House. There are many arcade games, skill machines that test your strength, measure your love life (I was a dead fish), and tell your fortune. There are several music machines such as a Violano Virtuoso, a Wurlitzer Pianino, a Wurlitzer Band Organ plus music boxes and roller organs, some of which are fitted into arcade machines. Everything from the macabre to the hilarious resides within these walls.
It is a wonderful place to visit and it is lovingly maintained by Dan and some of his workers. Our groups had lunch and held a short chapter business meeting before venturing out into the play space. It was an unusual place to meet but we all had a great time. Hopefully some of these pictures will help to relay this to you. It is a place you should not miss when visiting San Francisco!

Host, Dan Zelinsky with the Mills Violano. Note the roller skates for quickly getting around the museum.

I played this one as a kid, says Bob Caletti!

Dan with a quarter (look at his hand) and a mechanical horse! Get it? Quarter Horse.

Dan Zelinsky, Bob Caletti and Jonathan Hoyt in DanÕs workshop.

Jared Di Bartolomeo and Phil Strauss observe our host, Dan Zelinsky playing a Cremona.

Phil Strauss with the Wurlitzer Band Organ.

A Triumph Orchestrion, according to the bedplate.

Dan at the back side of the Wurlitzer Band Organ.

Laughing Sal from the Fun House at Playland at the Beach in San Francisco.

Bob Caletti listens closely to see if he recognizes the tune while Jonathan Hoyt stands nearby.

FOR SALE
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SERVICES
REPRODUCTION POLYPHON discs; Cata.logs available for 19 5/8Ó, 22 1/8Ó, and 24 1/2Ó. DAVID CORKRUM 5826 Roberts Ave, Oakland, CA 94605-1156, 510-569-3110,
www.polyphonmusic.com
SAVE $Õs on REUGE & THORENS MUSIC BOX REPAIR & RESTORATION Ð MBSI MEMBERS RECEIVE WHOLESALE PRICING. 40 + Years experience servicing all makes & models of cylinder and disc music boxes, bird boxes, bird cages, musical watches, Anri musical figurines, et al. All work guaranteed. WeÕre the only REUGE FACTORY AUTHORIZED Parts & Repair Service Center for all of North America. Contact: DON CAINE – The Music Box Repair Center Unlimited, 24703 Pennsyl.vania Ave., Lomita, CA 90717-1516. Phone: (310) 534-1557 Email: MBRCU@AOL.COM. On the Web: www.musicboxrepaircenter.com

THE MARTTHE MART

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Mechanical Music
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It is to be hereby understood that the placing of advertisements by members of the Society in this publication does not constitute nor shall be deemed to constitute any endorsement or approval of the busi.ness practices of advertisers. The Musical Box Society International accepts no liability in connection with any business dealings between members and such advertisers.
It is to be further understood that members are to rely on their own investigation and opinion regarding the reputation and integrity of advertisers in conducting such busi.ness dealings with said advertisers.

Advertise in The Mart
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59……..Porter Music Box Company
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OFFICERS, TRUSTEES & COMMITTEES of the
MUSICAL BOX SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL¨

OFFICERS
President
Matthew Jaro
24219 Clematis Dr
Gaithersburg, MD 20882
mjaro@verizon.net
Vice President
Bob Caletti,
605 Wallea Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
bcaletti@pacbell.net
Recording Secretary
Linda Birkitt
PO Box 145,
Kuna, ID 83634
scarletpimpernel28@yahoo.com
Treasurer
Edward Kozak
3615 North Campbell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618
ekozak1970@gmail.com
TRUSTEES
Dave Calendine
Bob Caletti
Edward Cooley
David Corkrum
Richard Dutton
Rich Poppe
Matt Jaro
Mary Ellen Myers
Rick Swaney
COMMITTEES
Audit
Edward Cooley, Chair, Trustee
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Endowment Committee
Edward Kozak, Treasurer, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Dave Calendine, Trustee
B Bronson
Executive Committee
Matthew Jaro, Chair, President
Bob Caletti, Vice President
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Rich Poppe, Trustee
Finance Committee
Edward Kozak, Chair, Treasurer
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Peter Both
Marketing Committee
Bob Smith, Chair
Edward Cooley, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Don Caine
John Miller
Meetings Committee
Rich Poppe, Chair, Trustee
Judy Caletti
Tom Chase
Cotton Morlock
Tom Kuehn
Membership Committee
Chair, Vacant
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Robin Biggins, Southern California
Judy Caletti, Golden Gate
Gary Goldsmith, Snowbelt
Florie Hirsch, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Dan Wilson, Southeast
Gerald Yorioka, Northwest IntÕl
TBD, East Coast
TBD, Lake Michigan
TBD, Sunbelt
Museum Committee
Sally Craig, Chair
Dave Calendine, Trustee
Glenn Crater, National Capital
Ken Envall, Southern California
Julian Grace, Sunbelt
Richard Simpson, East Coast
Museum Sub-Committees
Ohio Operations
Rob Pollock, Mid-America
Nominating Committee
Judy Caletti, Chair
David Corkrum, Immediate
Past President
Bob Caletti, Golden Gate,
Vice President
Mary Ellen Myers, Trustee,
Southeast
Jonathan Hoyt, Golden Gate
Robin Biggins, Southern California
Aaron Muller, Lake Michigan
Tom Kuehn, Snowbelt
Publications Committee
Bob Caletti, Chair,
Vice President
Richard Dutton, Trustee
Paul Bellamy
Steve Boehck
Christian Eric
Kathleen Eric
Publications Sub-Committee
Website Committee
Rick Swaney, Chair
B Bronson
Knowles Little, Web Secretary
Special Exhibits Committee
Mary Ellen Myers, Chair, Trustee,
Southeast
David Corkrum, Immediate Past
President, Golden Gate
Donald Caine, Southern California
Jack Hostetler, Southeast
Knowles Little, National Capital
Judy Miller, Southeast
Aaron Muller, Lake Michigan
Wayne Myers, Southeast
Rick Swaney, Trustee,
Northwest International
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
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Regina Certificates:
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Historian:
Bob Yates

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date
Event
Location
Sponsor

July 3-7, 2024
MBSI Annual Meeting
Los Angeles, CA
Southern California Chapter Joint with AMICA

Send in your information by Feb. 1, 2024, for the March/April 2024 issue.
Ask your questions on our Facebook discussion group Ñ search for the Music Box Society Forum.

Please send dates for the Calendar of Events to editor@mbsi.org

CONTACTS

Administrator Jacque Beeman handles back issues (if available) $6; damaged or issues not received, address changes, MBSI Directory listing changes, credit card charge questions, book orders, status of your membership, membership renewal, membership application, and MBSI Membership Brochures.
P.O. Box 10196
Springfield, MO 65808-0196
Phone/Fax (417) 576-4280
jbeeman.mbsi@att.net
Regina Certificates: Cost $10.
B Bronson
Box 154
Dundee, MI 48131
Phone (734) 529-2087
art@d-pcomm.net
Advertising for Mechanical Music
Russell Kasselman
Iron Dog Media
130 Coral Court
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Phone (253) 228-1634
editor@mbsi.org
Museum Donations
Sally Craig
2720 Old Orchard Road
Lancaster, PA 17601
Phone (717) 295-9188
rosebud441@juno.com
MBSI website
Rick Swaney
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Sammamish, WA 98074
Phone (425) 836-3586
r_swaney@msn.com
Web Secretary
Knowles Little
9109 Scott Dr.
Rockville, MD 20850
Phone (301) 762-6253
kglittle@verizon.net

CHAPTERS

East Coast
Chair: Elise Low
(203) 457-9888
Dues None in 2024
Roger Wiegand
281 Concord Road
Wayland, MA 01778
or pay via PayPal, send to
treasurer.eccmbsi@gmail.com
Golden Gate
Chair: Judy Caletti
jeeperjudy@gmail.com
Dues $5 to Dave Corkrum
5826 Roberts Ave.
Oakland, CA 94605
Japan
Chair: Naoki Shibata
81-72986-1169
naotabibito396amb@
salsa.ocn.ne.jp
Treasurer: Makiko Watanabe
makikomakiko62@yahoo.co.jp
Lake Michigan
Chair: Mark Pichla
(847) 962-2330
Dues $5 to James Huffer
7930 N. Kildare
Skokie, Illinois 60076
Mid-America
Chair: Rob Pollock
(937) 508-4984
Dues $10 to Harold Wade
4616 Boneta Road
Medina, OH 44256
National Capital
Chair: Cheryl Hack
(410) 757-2164
cahack@aacc.edu
Dues $5 to Florie Hirsch
8917 Wooden Bridge Road
Potomac, MD 20854
Northwest International
Chair: Rick Swaney
(425) 836-3586
Dues $7.50/person to Kathy Baer
8210 Comox Road
Blaine, WA 98230
Snowbelt
Chair: Tracy Tolzmann
(651) 674-5149
Dues $5 to Bill Nunn
2825 Willow Drive
Hamel, MN 55340
Southeast
Chair: Jim Kracht
305-251-6983
Dues $5 to Bob Yates
1973 Crestview Way Unit 147
Naples, FL 34119
Southern California
Chair: Robin Biggins
(310) 377-1472
Dues $10 to Franne Einberg
10524 Blythe Ave
Los Angeles CA 90064
Sunbelt
Chair: Vacant
Dues $10 to Diane Caudill
14015 Spindle Arbor Road
Cypress, TX. 77429

CHAPTERS

Copyright 2022 the Musical Box Society International, all rights reserved. Permission to reproduce by any means, in whole or in part, must be obtained in writing from the MBSI Executive Committee and the Editor. Mechanical Music is published in the even months. ISSN 1045-795X