Monday, August 13, 2018

Old squawk boxes can squawk again...

 This is an antique Gebruder Heubach doll with an oddly elongated torso.
 There are mesh covered holes on each side of the torso....what is inside?
 Inside is a long silent bellows-type squawker.
 No, wait....there are two squawkers in there!
They are both silent now but were set up in opposite directions to make the doll squawk no matter which way it was tilted.
Out comes the first squawker to show the source of it's silence. The bellows fabric is torn.
Various patches are tried but the squawker stays silent.

So....the next thing is to replace the bellows cloth....but what with?












Cuckoo clock bellows are almost identical construction.
So the old torn fabric is replaced with new cuckoo clock bellows fabric.

The old stiffened tape that held the reed (the piece that actually makes the sound) is replaced with bellows fabric too.

It works!!!














Both squawkers get repaired and re-installed and this is the result:





His clothes hide his odd torso......but any little movement sets those squawkers off now!




































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