Paillard Columbia

By 1890 most Ste. Croix makers had partly adopted the basic design change which placed the cylinder and the spring drive axially in line.


Comparison Junod Helvetia with Mermod Serial 56428

Paillard Serial No. 96998


Comparison Junod Helvetia with Mermod Serial 56428


Junod´s design is noted [above] in Fig. 3-9 and ...


Mermod´s [above] 56428 in Fig. 1-20.

Paillard had similar bearings, some cast integral with the bedplate, and used the spring housing as the great wheel driving the governor, with the spring cover plate providing the stop slot for the stop arm. The Paillard design was less venturesome than Mermod´s, retaining their established types of tune indicator, tune selector, safety check, and governor. They apparently continued their practice of fitting the safety check, tune selector, and speed control only to more expensive models, sometimes as optional extras.

As usual in these late designs the cylinder arbor is replaced by a stub axle on each end cap, with a compression spring at the bass end to hold the cylinder against the snail arm. An ingenious feature of the Paillard design is the enlarged snail cam which is mounted off-center on the spring housing, so that the treble end stubs axle bears directly on a cam step. This retains the sound design principle of the old traditional design, namely that during play there is no movement between the cam and the stub axle locating point.

Like the other makers, Paillard used the same basic design with different bearings for models with interchangeable cylinders, though these had their track widths increased from 0.017 to 0.022“ (0.43 to 0.56 mm).


Paillard Serial No. 96998

One of the Paillard Columbia models was the sublime harmonie and a typical example is shown in Fig. 1-27, Serial No. 96998. Both combs have 38 teeth, the a teeth (440Hz) being Nos. 18 and 19 on the bass comb and No. 9 on the treble, all with relative stiffness 325. The cylinder length is 11 5/8“ (30 cm) over end caps, with 10 ¾“ (27 cm) pinned; diameter is 2 3/8“ (27 lignes, 60 mm). The tune gap is rather wide at 7/8“ (22 mm). Ideal playing time is about 68 seconds per cylinder revolution, giving 60 seconds per tune with cylinder surface speed of 0.11“ (2.8 mm) per second. The governor butterfly makes 1800 revs per cylinder rev. The large, robust, single cast iron bearing for the spring arbor is bolted to the bedplate and carries the pivot bolt for the winding ratchet pawl, which is gravity controlled, as shown in Fig. 1-28.
The figure also shown the stop arm in the shape of a bell-crank pivoted to the bedplate. One arm is shaped to engage the slot tail in the spring cover and the other bent vertically upwards to engage the stop tail on the endless.
Blank No. 7 is stamped on the treble edge of the bedplate and on the spring arbor bearing, snail cam and governor; although a stray 13 appears on one butterfly wing. Nos. 1 and 7 and letters which could be GPG or CPC are cast under the bedplate. Serial No. 96998 is stamped in six places including the treble end cap and cylinder bearing cover. Gamme 294 is scribed on both bass leads.
The springs on these in-line movements have to supply only a quarter of the torque needed for a 4-to-1 gear drive, but they correspondingly have to be about four times longer. In this movement the spring thickness is down from the usual 0.025“ (0.64 mm) to 0.016“ (0.41 mm), the width is about normal at 1 3/8“ (35 mm), but the length is over 20 feet (6 meters). It confortably runs the movement for ten minutes, if desired, as claimed on the tune sheet, shown in Fig. 1-29. Because no stop-work is provided, it will slow down until a heavy chord stops it. Winding-up is very brisk, needing one turn per tune, but again the lack of a Geneva stop means the thin spring takes the shock of arresting a strong-armed winder. This must be why I had to repair the broken spring on Serial No. 96998.
The case measures 25 by 10 by 9“ (64 by 25 by 23 cm) over podium and feet, with colourful transfer on front, a marquetry picture of flowers and garden tools on the domed lid, and carrying handles. Under the case, 97094 has been crossed out and 96998 added. The difference of 96 serial numbers may represent a mere week´s output by Paillard.

Performance
This 11“ (28 cm) eight-air, 76-tooth Paillard sublime harmonie demonstrates very clearly the advances made in almost everything except tune arrangements, during the period 1875-1890, when compared with a 13“ (33 cm) eight-air, 96-tooth Nicole. The Paillard gives roughly equal musical quality with 25% fewer teeth. Such was the general opinion when these boxes played Sweet Spirit from Lurline (by Wallace, 1860), but about 60% voted in favor of the Nicole for its more delicate arrangement. In fact, the Paillard was a bit below par in exploiting the variations in volume possible with sublime harmonie – one of the assets clearly claimed in the Paillard patent.
(S. 35-41)