Music box playing by itself??

[Racheld17]

Hello, I joined this site in hopes to figure out what's happening with a music box that I own. I don't really believe in paranormal things but I wasn't sure where else to put this. 

So about three months ago, I was cleaning my room when I heard a music box that's kept on a shelf in the hallway go off. It played music for about two straight minutes and scared both my mom and I a bit, but we dismissed it since it'S old and possibly just had some loose springs or something. But it went off by its self again tonight, loudly, scaring my whole family awake. My dad had to bang on it to get it to stop!

Ive looked it up and most people's old music boxes only play a few notes without being wound up, where as mine plays the entire song out and hasn't been touched in months!

is there a logical explanation for this? I've never heard of this happening to this extreme and my searches online haven't helped much

[ChrLzs]

By their nature, these devices do indeed have several springs and ratchet mechanisms that can easily go wrong, and after long periods of time could burst into action.  And I'll lay a sizable bet that someone, after the initial occurrence, wound it back up...  It would be human nature to do that, even if you weren't of the fun-loving prankster type.

[ChrLzs]

I forgot to mention - there are many different types of mechanism, and some are designed to just play one run-through of the song.  This type, which I suspect you have, generally has a quite powerful spring that is easily capable of playing the song a couple of times, if it were not designed to stop after just one play by some ratchet device.  That means that depending on how the mechanism is failing, it may restart and manage to do the song again, more than once without needing a rewind.  As is possibly happening to you..

The other type just plays the same little short melody over and over until it slows and runs down, and it is perhaps more common (dunno, I'm guessing..?).  That type will tend to slow down and die, and then is much less likely to do a restart unless it is rewound.

[MissJatti]

I had a toy once, that I left on the mantle for years, and one day it would turn on, all by it self, and start singing.

Then again a week later again, and a few days later after that. These things never worried me, knowing there be a logical explanation for it. By hearing other people, it does happen from time to time.

One day my husband hear it, (I was at work), and told me I left the batteries in that toy, and the switch was on.

[rashore]

What kind of music box is it? I'm with ChrLz on the more rational explanation here.... I'm just curious for more information. Different types of music boxes can have different mechanisms and different orientations in their working mechanisms. Like a ballerina music box is set up different than a box with a horizontal spinning top and that's different than a vertical movement. 

I assume the music box didn't have an on/off peg or it was broken? Since you say your dad banged on it to make it stop. If it was broken, that could have a factor as to why it started playing. And lol, your dad banging on it might not have been too good for it's working correctly too.

[Lisa Reid]

I was staying at my mother's one night, and due to personal problems, was crying uncontrollably in the bedroom.  suddenly a music box began to play "You better not shout, better not cry, better not pout...etc. Santa Claus is coming to town". I felt no fear but was stunned. Next morning at breakfast another music box started playing in the kitchen! How could these both be loose springs? Ps these were boxes with no lids.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Lisa Reid

[Mysterious Potatoe]

So it is currently 10:18 on May 20,2019 and I have an old and I mean old carousel music thing. It doesn't work but it just started working out of nowhere and, it doesn't fit in the grooves anymore . I took it apart so there was NO possible way for it to play and it is still playing it has been playing for 5 minutes now. Why and what do I do? Also I do believe in paranormal activities 

 

[the13bats]

sorry, its not paranormal

i didnt live with my dad and never went to his home until i guess my early 20s, he had a antique clockwork beetle that belonged to his dad in a case, i asked to see it and here is a picture of the same type,

they came painted with beautiful metallic paint but dads was rusty brown and missing part of a leg, he sat it on the table, it lunged and flapped its wings startling me, dad laughed, when he passed in 2014 i asked my step mom to have it and she albeit reluctant graciously gave it to me, its in a small case in a special place and one day it did stutter a little, it has not been wound it at least 50 years according to dad but i can tell the spring isnt fully open.

i have rebuilt a few antique wind up music boxes, there are countless things that could make one play that hasnt been touched many of mine do, weather, temp, etc and these are a mechanism, many things will keep them from moving,

when people start saying they have dismantled ones or have proven completely unwound ones that play and play i say whip out your phone grab a video and then we have more than a story,  in fact if you have a dismantled music box laying in pieces playing get proof, you will be set for life.

 

[papageorge1]

12 hours ago, Mysterious Potatoe said:

So it is currently 10:18 on May 20,2019 and I have an old and I mean old carousel music thing. It doesn't work but it just started working out of nowhere and, it doesn't fit in the grooves anymore . I took it apart so there was NO possible way for it to play and it is still playing it has been playing for 5 minutes now. Why and what do I do? Also I do believe in paranormal activities 

 

I have heard a number of stories of spirits allegedly manipulating small music devices. Perhaps someone wanted to hear an old toy or give a sign.

[SecretSanta]

17 hours ago, Mysterious Potatoe said:

So it is currently 10:18 on May 20,2019 and I have an old and I mean old carousel music thing. It doesn't work but it just started working out of nowhere and, it doesn't fit in the grooves anymore . I took it apart so there was NO possible way for it to play and it is still playing it has been playing for 5 minutes now. Why and what do I do? Also I do believe in paranormal activities 

 

You know what would have been cool? If you thought to video it. Please tell me you took a video?

[moonman]

On 5/20/2019 at 10:21 PM, Mysterious Potatoe said:

So it is currently 10:18 on May 20,2019 and I have an old and I mean old carousel music thing. It doesn't work but it just started working out of nowhere and, it doesn't fit in the grooves anymore . I took it apart so there was NO possible way for it to play and it is still playing it has been playing for 5 minutes now. Why and what do I do? Also I do believe in paranormal activities 

 

Obviously there WAS a possible way for it to play, since it was playing. You say you took it apart, but you didn't dismantle the wind up music chunk. If anything, taking apart the main mechanism allowed the music box portion to spin freely.

Edited May 22, 2019 by moonman

[Essan]

Vibrations alone can set music boxes off.   In most case they only play when the lid is raised.  So, one that has been wound up but left with the lid down may remain dormant for days, weeks, even years.   I've had it happen here in my (antique) shop.   Though  I tell everyone it's really a ghost    

[Essan]

On 5/21/2019 at 4:21 AM, Mysterious Potatoe said:

So it is currently 10:18 on May 20,2019 and I have an old and I mean old carousel music thing. It doesn't work but it just started working out of nowhere and, it doesn't fit in the grooves anymore . I took it apart so there was NO possible way for it to play and it is still playing it has been playing for 5 minutes now. Why and what do I do? Also I do believe in paranormal activities 

 

As Moonman says, there obviously is a way for it to play - you can't have dismantled it entirely!   Probably in the process of dismantling it you set it off.

Unless, that is, what you have is related to Phoebe's smoke alarm from that old episode of Friends  

[+Desertrat56]

On 10/29/2016 at 9:24 PM, Racheld17 said:

Hello, I joined this site in hopes to figure out what's happening with a music box that I own. I don't really believe in paranormal things but I wasn't sure where else to put this. 

So about three months ago, I was cleaning my room when I heard a music box that's kept on a shelf in the hallway go off. It played music for about two straight minutes and scared both my mom and I a bit, but we dismissed it since it'S old and possibly just had some loose springs or something. But it went off by its self again tonight, loudly, scaring my whole family awake. My dad had to bang on it to get it to stop!

Ive looked it up and most people's old music boxes only play a few notes without being wound up, where as mine plays the entire song out and hasn't been touched in months!

is there a logical explanation for this? I've never heard of this happening to this extreme and my searches online haven't helped much

I don't know if there is a logical explanation, unless it is wound too tight and something bumps it or a vibration starts it off.

I have had something similar happen to me twice, right after someone I knew died.  Maybe the music box needs to be repaired.

[the13bats]

these old music boxes do play on their own but its not supernatural, its just the nature of it

[ChrLzs]

Just to repeat a point made above, it's not just vibrations or bumps that might restart a clockwork mechanism after many years..  Small changes in temperature or humidity may also do it, plus lubricants can change over time, so they may thin out to the point that it restarts.

After all, this is one of the ways that the fraud Yuri Geller became infamous, by telling TV audiences to go and get their old watches out, and then hold them tightly.  Out of a hundred old watches, about 5 or so would be bound to restart just from the new warmth (they were probably put aside not because they had stopped, but because they were losing time or they'd bought a newer nicer watch..).  Those people ring the TV station, the station reports it as hundreds, and voila - a famous hoaxer gets some publicity and people like papageorge and earl *believe*...

[Matt221]

spring weakens,guvnor spins,drum turns ,and then the lamellae brushes the drum all because a slight temperature change or vibration 

[openozy]

On 21/05/2019 at 2:05 PM, the13bats said:

Bats,can you still get these anywhere?They are an awesome antique.

[Alchopwn]

On 10/30/2016 at 2:24 PM, Racheld17 said:

Hello, I joined this site in hopes to figure out what's happening with a music box that I own. I don't really believe in paranormal things but I wasn't sure where else to put this. 

So about three months ago, I was cleaning my room when I heard a music box that's kept on a shelf in the hallway go off. It played music for about two straight minutes and scared both my mom and I a bit, but we dismissed it since it'S old and possibly just had some loose springs or something. But it went off by its self again tonight, loudly, scaring my whole family awake. My dad had to bang on it to get it to stop!

Ive looked it up and most people's old music boxes only play a few notes without being wound up, where as mine plays the entire song out and hasn't been touched in months!

is there a logical explanation for this? I've never heard of this happening to this extreme and my searches online haven't helped much

I would bet that it was triggered by a change in temperature.  If you have a catch that is slightly loose and the temperature changes, the box will slip its catch and start to play, until the catch re-engages.  I would advise letting the mechanism play itself out, rather than keeping it in tension.  Like a bow that you keep strung, it isn't good for clockwork to be kept in tension unless you are actually using it frequently i.e. that is it's job, like an alarm clock (not that you see many wind up alarm clocks anymore). 

[the13bats]

oops...ill try back in a few

 

 

Edited May 25, 2019 by the13bats

[the13bats]

19 hours ago, openozy said:

Bats,can you still get these anywhere?They are an awesome antique.

German tin Lehmann beetle.

they pop up on ebay, price reflects condition and back when i got mine from my step mother i did some hunting saw how beautiful the paint was in the day like real iridescent bugs, dad said his dad had it so its likely pre 1900, your asking prodded me to go look at mine, i didnt stay long, but mine is still got some very weak tention on the spring and it didnt really try to walk but fluttered a bit, weird huh?  i agree with Alchopwn, not to store wind ups with tention but too late for this guy, ever so carfully i tried to wind it and not sure but it appears it might be broken but i only tried a click or two,

look at the pics the middle legs are the drive legs and then corrected to the front and rear legs and this likely explains why most i see have a broken middle leg and to show how memories are faulty, i would have bet mine was broker at the knee and mines drive legs seem to be off the pivot post, and not sure how the wings flaps, they are fast and dont seems to match, random flutter,

but like clock work music boxes and a weight operated grandfather clock i have these things do just go off, and sometimes it can really seem such odd timing it must be paranormal but i dont believe it is.

 

[openozy]

24 minutes ago, the13bats said:

German tin Lehmann beetle

Thanks for showing that.There used to be a show called Oddities,they had creepy bizarre stuff like that.It has that olden days spooky feel about it.I agree these things could click over at times without paranormal influence,all except Chucky,but he was battery powered.

[the13bats]

seems Voltaire was on oddities, i sorta knew him tried to book him didnt work out,

i pass a lot of these old wind up music boxes at garage sales perhaps i need a few more for some testing,

you know the bi metal heater coil in a old car choke, i wonder, replace the windup box spring with that you couldnt wind it but temp changes would make the box play perhaps several seconds...hum, temp made that old gfather clock i was messing with go into chime mode, it startled me really well.

what i wanna see is a video of a dismantled box playing....