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Puzzle box

BigSteveUK
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BigSteveUK Member

BigSteveUK

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The box is made of rosewood, has a raised circular top section with holes, a perspex flap with swivel catch covering a circular metal I think tin insert with a hole in it and appears fixed in place. Remains of instructions say, "Close lid so that hole in spring goes --------pinion?" That's the most I can decifer, it was amoungst a deceased watchmakers tools. What is it and how do you use it?

 

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HectorLooi Distinguished Member

HectorLooi

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Absolutely no idea but the perspex lid looks out of place. I don't think plastics existed when the box was made.

The last line in the instructions looks like "Movement ------- test".

So could this be some early test tool? Maybe it's some acoustic amplifier for listening to the ticking of the movement. You put the movement in the hole and close the lid and listen from the speaker-like holes.

I don't know. Just shooting in the dark.

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BigSteveUK Member

BigSteveUK

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That is a very good suggestion indeed it could well be an amplifier especially now I have removed the tin disc. As you can see from the pictures the disc was soldered to the nut. Before further disassembly as it's distructive any further ideas would be appreciated. But I have a feeling Hector may have it.

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BigSteveUK Member

BigSteveUK

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Ok having no choice and bearing in mind its made of wood so easily repaired, I broke it open through the top. And low and behold it has a tin vibration plate that connects to the tin disk, or did until I broke the solder join. So Hector you are right it's a form of amplifier intended to amplify the sound of movements. What an interesting peice of kit, now I will put it all back together and have a play. 🙂IMG_20230401_133053.thumb.jpg.040410f822b0ffdc46bb9ed429ee46a5.jpg

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kd8tzc WRT Addict

kd8tzc

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That is cool! 

I wonder, if when it was made did it have a thin piece of wood where the plastic is now?  Maybe that was just added later when the wood door broke.

It sort of reminds me of the little things they had for the telegraph operators that allowed the sound to be concentrated a little more to ease them hearing it (telegraph sounder box).  Although, I think the way those telegraph sounder box was also to direct the sound more to the person working the telegraph and to be less distracting when there were multiple telegraph machines in a room.

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