Or how to rebuild a burnt music box case
Story and photos by Jonathan Hoyt
When it arrived, I first thought “Is this restorable?” and then, “How much do they love this?”
I had just finished unwinding the shrink wrap from a music box that, to me, looked more like a charred piece of firewood pulled from a fireplace the morning after a dark, cold night. The music box in question was an upright 13 5/8” Symphonion. I nicknamed it The Phoenix, after the legendary birds that at the end of their life-cycle build a nest of twigs which then ignite to burn both the bird and nest reducing them to ashes. From the ashes rises a new, young phoenix ready to live again. I thought this music box deserved that type of second chance at life as well.
The music had been recovered from inside a house that caught fire and the music box itself was on fire at one point. More than half of the music box case was charred. The fire burned through the veneer and into the base wood. The top door was burned completely through and the veneer had delaminated and started to burn on the bottom door. In addition, water used to put out the fire and resulting steam loosened all the music box’s joints, damaged the base and warped the disc holders. The case got hot enough that the sap in the wood along with the finish turned to liquid and ran down the case sticking to all metal parts. In short, if you only gave it a passing glance it certainly looked like quite a mess.
The charred case when it arrived after being pulled out of a house fire.
The burned area around the coin slot.
Removing the burned wood with a chisel.
I, however, was prepared to look as closely as possible to see what I could save and what would need to be rebuilt. The case was certainly in very poor condition, but the music box case as a whole was deemed sal- vageable since the main structure still had enough strength to rebuild from. This was good because it eliminated the need to create new forms to build the bentwood case, which would have created its own complications.
When I brought the case home, it was immediately banished to the outdoors until the campfire smell lessened. During this time, I took the opportu- nity to do further inspection. I found the fire had burned about 3/16-inch into the main case and had softened the underlying unburned pine wood. I knew this would make the reconstruc- tion more challenging as I would not be able to use traditional methods of furniture construction or glue because the remaining surface would not be strong enough to bond to fresh wood. I decided to rebuild the music box as a boat builder might repair a dam- aged boat. Using a chisel and scraper, I worked to remove the fire-damaged wood and then I used a steel wire brush to remove any remaining wood that lacked the needed structural integrity for the next steps.
A detail shot showing the damage caused to the base by the fire.
At this point, I was able to move the case into my attached workshop garage as the remaining fire smell was much less noticeable. After using a bandsaw to create a thick pine veneer, I used marine-grade epoxy to bond it to the case. This served both to stabilize the underlying wood as the water thin epoxy was able to soak into the damaged wood and to also bond to the fresh pine top. The case now roughly had its original shape and thickness restored and of equal importance it also had a fresh pine substrate that veneer would adhere to.
Since the upper door was a complete loss, I fabricated a new one using 1/4- inch plywood for the panel substrate (for stability). It was inserted using tongue and groove into a pine frame built with bridal joinery. This type of construction would be solid and stable for longevity. Proper build was very important as the case might expe- rience more humid or dry conditions in the future depending on where in the country it might be located. If not accounted for, normal wood contraction (dryness) and swelling (humidity) in addition to seasonal temperatures might literally tear the case apart over time.
Fortunately, the bottom door fared better due its construction and having received very little fire damage. The door was still flat and had mainly suffered cracking due to rapid wood expansion and contraction during the fire. To complete the repair on this
The bottom door still showing the charred edge, with newly installed butterfly joints.
The completed bottom door, ready to be veneered.
The base as received. The hide glue and supporting blocks that held it together have separated.
The curved top of the case, showing a pine wood substrate epoxied to the underlying wood.
The rebuilt base before veneering showing a back support built and dovetailed into the assembly.
The front door, being glued to fit the case.
One view of the curved top of the case, prior to veneering.
A new pine wood substrate being applied using epoxy and wood cauls.
New matching oak fascia were bandsaw cut and planed. These go inside the case on either side of the bedplate.
In this picture you can see where the veneer was steam bent over curves.
A view of the veneered door prior to refinishing. The original charred door that was unable to be salvaged is seen in the background.
In this side view, you can see the flow of the wood grain over two pieces of veneer.
Grain direction is a frequently overlooked item in modern furniture that is usually present in antiques and handmade furniture and can have a strong visual impact.
