How to Make a Music Box

Are you a music lover, who is uncontrollably drawn towards music? Is your love for music coupled with an interest in tinkering with mechanical devices? Well, if that's the case, then, making a music box is just the right activity for you. If your curiosity has been aroused, let me tell you about them.

So, basically, a music box is a musical device, that was first produced in bulk in Switzerland, in the 19th century. Later on, the whole of Europe was engulfed by its charm. Most of the European countries now produce them and they have ventured into American markets as well.

The music in a music box is produced by a set of pins placed on a rotating cylinder. Now when the cylinder turns, it plucks the tuned teeth of a steel comb and voila! the music is created.

Lets enumerate the checklist for things required. What you need, is a bedpan, windup key, spring motor, a comb and some cylinders and multiple tune cylinders. If you are making this on your own, at home, you will need a paper mache box or ceramic trinket box with a lid, musical movement, a pencil, some glue and some decorating material.

Steps to Make a Music Box

Tune 1: Begin with getting the measurement of the box which will hold the musical movement, so that you can buy a musical movement of the exact size.

Tune 2: Now place the musical movement in whichever type of box that you have chosen. Just make sure that the winding key faces an interior side of the box. Using a pencil, mark the spot where the box meets the winding key and preferably also make a pencil indentation there.

Tune 3: Create a hole for the winding key, by pressing the pencil inward at the indentation spot, from the outside. Unruly or irregular edges surrounding the box are directed inside the box, by this technique.

Tune 4: Paint the box and decorate it as your creativity dictates. Embellish your music box with stickers, buttons, beads and stamps. Then glue a square of wood to the center front of the inner box bottom. The musical movement will have to be glued to this.

Tune 5: There will be a manual with the musical movement. So check it for a few instructions related to the winding key. Detach the winding screw from the music box, if the two are attached. Then using the hot glue gun, coat the side of the box that has the winding key.

Tune 6: Next, press the musical movement against the interior part of the box (after applying the glue, that is!), which will line up the hole for the winding screw, with the hole in the box.

Tune 7: Now screw the winding key through the hole in the box, into the musical movement. And last but not the least, turn the winding key gently, for some sweet sound of music.

Well, isn't it easy? It is not as complicated as it appears to be. Following the instructions on the musical movement will solve half your problem. But hey, there are some things, which you need to remember while doing this.

Use a pencil as a guide, to help match the hole in the box with the hole for the winding key, in the musical movement. Preferably, poke a pencil externally, through the hole in the box. Then along with this, make sure that when you glue the musical movement to the box, the glue does not spread near the winding keyhole. Keep away the decorative pieces, from the bottom of the box, especially when glue is involved.

There we are, that was a brief description. I am sure the music lovers must be squirming and wriggling in their seats, their fingers twitching to make a music box!