Stabilizing pins.

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

I am looking for something to stabilize small diameter pins (0.20 mm and smaller) during grinding musical box cylinders. I now use shellac but it takes a long time to set. I have used water based wood glue which works fine but the water in it makes the pins starting to rust. Pins stick out ca. 1.2 mm and the final length is around 0.60mm. Ideally it is easy to apply without using heat, is not water based, sets quick and is also easy to remove. Thanks, Niko.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Niko,

Lakeside 70C Cement might be worth a try … it is used in Lapidary, and for other small workholding.

I must admit that was surprised when you said that Shellac takes a long time to set … Watchmakers and lens-makers use it for chucking components … are you melting it with heat, or dissolving it?

MichaelG.

.

Sorry, I mis-read your post … You said you wanted something that works  without using heat.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 05/08/2014 23:36:25

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

Thanks Michael for the link, sadly I cannot use it because of the filler inside the tube, it melts around the same temperature. Niko.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Ideally it is easy to apply without using heat, is not water based, sets quick and is also easy to remove.

Sounds like you need some form of resin (which is what shellac is)

Might be worth experimenting with a poly resin

or a varnish

or a solvent based resin

 

Edited By Ady1 on 06/08/2014 11:25:35

[mark costello 1Participant @markcostello1]

Would a super glue work? Then get dissolved off later.

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

Thanks for all the advice, I let the shellac dry for a week before I ground the pins yesterday with a positive result as you can see in the picture. The cylinder has ca. 5000 pins of 0.20 mm diameter, height is now ca. 0.65 mm. If you grind these small diameter pins without stabilizing them the change of breakage is very great which is very frustrating. Niko.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Great result, Niko

MichaelG.

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Niko

When you first posted the question I did try and think of something that would suit the purpose, but I failed. Having seen the picture of the drums and pins I can see the nature of the problem. (and the quality of your work!)

I suppose if the grinding system took extremely light cuts you might get away with unsupported pins, but it would be a very slow process.

One avenue of material that might be worth investigating is to coat the drum in a layer of 'Pollyfilla' or some other gypsum based product. No heat is involved and it would hold the pins rigid whilst being easy to grind away (bit messy though). I am not sure how you would remove it after grinding (unless it could be dissolved in some way).

Out of interest, do you drill and insert the pins manually using the grid lines as a guide?

Some of the pins have a very close horizontal spacing, presumably that must be much less than the spacing of the tines. How does that work?

Ian P

[speelwerkParticipant @speelwerk]

Ian

This is the cylinder from a musical box made between 1820-25, the grid lines are specific for this maker. The old pins are removed in a bath sulphuric acid leaving the holes vacant for the new pins which are placed by hand . This cylinder has 3 revolutions with tunes, after one revolution it shifts ca. 0.38 mm to the next line pins, after 2 shifts it returns to the first position. Polyfilla crossed my mind, but the problem is how to remove it, thinking what they must have used in the past I came to shellac. Cuts are very light (<0.02mm), but if you have this small diameter pins they get in vibration and you get a stress fracture at the base, larger diameters you can do without stabilizing.

Niko.

Edited By speelwerk on 10/08/2014 17:41:01

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Niko

'Lateral movement' Ah, I remember now!

When I was very young there was a musical box at my grandparents house that we were allowed to play with. I am sure it may have had about 8 tunes. It was in a beautiful ornate (Japanned?) box with bevelled glass windows in the top and front. The 'comb' like thing was about 150mm wide (about a quarter of the tips were already broken).

Nobody in the family ever knew what happened to it after my grandparents died and I had forgotten about it until I saw your picture.

Ian P

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