February 7, 2012

Swell Shoes Repaired

Some former organist really liked to use the swell.  You can clearly see where her heel and toe wore through the tread on the shoe (I know it was a she-  I found her name on a note wedged between two panels down inside the console).  The aluminum tread is also worn through there and needs to be replaced.  I found some vinyl tread at the hardware store, but the aluminum trim was another matter.  After checking several sheet metal suppliers, I ended up at Guenzel Sheet Metal.  They had aluminum of the exact thickness I needed and a metal break to form the rolled-over edge for me.  They were very gracious helping me with this small project shortly before closing time on a Friday!  Many thanks to them!

When I got home I removed the old trim and scraped the old tread off both shoes with a putty knife.  It took quite a bit of sanding to remove the old adhesive.  Fortunately the wear patterns didn't cut too deeply into the wood.  I cut the new tread to fit and glued it in place.  Then I used tin snips and a Dremel to cut the miters in the trim.  Also at this time I removed all the old wiring in the register crescendo.  It cleaned up pretty nice- good as new!


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