The next step was to re-leather the stoppers. The stoppers must have an air-tight seal or the pipe won't speak properly. This seal is accomplished with a leather gasket around the stopper. It needs to have a perfect fit- Too tight and the pipe could crack and it is hard to tune. Too loose and the pipe won't speak or stay in tune. The old leather seemed to be about 100 years old and was disintegrating with dry rot. It had to be replaced.
The leather was probably attached with hide glue originally. This is good because it is possible to remove it some day when re-packing the stoppers. I began by scraping as much leather off as possible with a putty knife and then a small paint scraper. The stoppers of the 16' Bourdon also had a strip of felt around them for added cushion, relieving some tension when the wood expands and contracts with seasonal changes. This was moth-eaten and disintegrating too, so it had to be replaced as well.
The old hide glue can be removed with heat and moisture. I asked around on the organ building forums how to go about doing this. One suggestion was to buy a used or cheap clothes iron (it will be ruined for dress clothes almost immediately) and set it on high heat. Then lay an almost dripping wet wash cloth over the stopper (use old ones here too). Then apply the iron for a few seconds to steam. I was a little worried about warping or cracking the wood, but it seemed to be the best option. I decided to try it and it worked beautifully. Most of the glue came off with the first steaming. Otherwise, a little more scraping with the putty knife and another steaming took care of it!
Removing Old Leather Album
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