Cleaning the Keys

For those of you visiting from the Organ Forum or DIYapason list serve, here is the picture of my yellowing keys.  Sorry for the slightly blurred picture.  The lighting in my workshop is not great for taking photos.  However, you can still see the discoloration around the edges of the keys, and the relatively original color at the back of the key surface where it was covered by the felt.  Click on the image to see it in its original size.  I doubt my key tops are ivory, but possibly Ivorene??  What is the best and safest way to clean and brighten them?  Please feel free to comment here or on the respective groups if your advice would be helpful to others.  Thanks!!

Preparing for More Pedal Stops

Earlier this fall I got the pedal contact assembly from Reuter Opus 1483 from Tim Bovard in Arkansas.  This will replace the original 5 stop assembly in my console and will allow me to have  up to 12 pedal stops including the 8' Dulciana, 4' & 2' Gedeckt, and a 16' Dulzian (if I really want it!).  I also bought a stop tab rail almost identical to mine from Bruce Ioppini in California.  That will provide matching stop tabs and other spare parts for the additions. 

I have removed all the old wiring from the contact assembly and installed new color-coded wiring.  I have also modified the console a bit to hold the bigger assembly.  I put in new mounting blocks, and I had to cut a 1/2" rabbet in one of the boards holding the two sides of the console together.  Now I won't be able to put the back wood panels on the console.  I was planing on leaving them off anyway, because they would just block the sound from the 16' Bourdon.  All I need to do now is wire it to the new Peterson junction pins I am putting in the console and add the stop tabs.  Click on "From Pedal Contacts" below to see more pictures.

From Pedal Contacts

Oboe Swell Complete

I finished modifying the swell shade frame and moved on the box itself.  I built the support frame using pocket screw joinery.  This was my first endeavour using this joinery, and I love it!  Joints are clean and sturdy.  Completed frame is pictured.  (Click on "From Swell Box" in blue letters below to see more pictures.)  I then mounted the shutters in place.  I made the side panels out of 3/4" plywood.  All the visible panels are oak, the top and rear are premium pine.  The lower front panel and the back panel are wider than the 4' wide plywood, and wanted the grain to run vertically.  I used the pocket screws and pipe clamps to glue up two pieces of plywood side by side to make these panels.  I used threaded wood inserts and a bolt through the frame to hold the panels in place.

From Swell Box

Next, was applying oak veneer to almost everything.  The shutters and their frame work were originally painted flat black.  Because the swell will be prominently visible, I want it all to be oak, matching the console and other case work.  I removed the individual shutters and sanded all surfaces.  The shutters' framework needed to be planed and sanded to ensure a smooth, even surface for the veneer.  Most of the veneer came in paper backed 4x8 sheets.  I cut them very carefully so there wouldn't be any seams in the grain showing.  I used two-part epoxy for the adhesive.  I had to work very quickly, as this product gave 3-5 minutes of open working time.  I don't have any pics of applying the epoxy because I had to work so fast.  I will say, an old credit card makes an excellent application tool- makes a smooth, uniform layer of epoxy.  The veneer was clamped in place and allowed to cure for 24 hours (pictured above).  That cure time really drug the process out, but I wanted to be sure I had a good strong bond.  When the broad sides were done, I was able to apply the iron-on edge veneers.

I decided to paint the interior with a black, oil-based enamel paint.  I am hoping that the hard paint will help reflect sound out more than bare wood.  Plus, it looks more finished as well.  Next, I added some simple crown moulding to the top to dress it up just a bit.  None of the woodwork in this whole project is ornate or frilly, but it really needed something up there.  Then I counter sank a nylon washer at the bottom of each shutter to reduce the friction of the rotating shutters. 

Finished swell box is pictured here.  All that remains to be done is filling in a few nail holes with wood putty, and of course staining the exterior.  However, I think staining will wait until I am ready to refinish the console and one other decorative panel.  And, the mechanical linkage to the swell shoe is under construction, but I will give that its own post later.

Swell Box in Progress

I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I have been sitting idle!  I finished drawing blueprints for the Oboe's swell box back in November and have started construction.  First, I cleaned up the set of expression shades I bought last winter.  I removed extra wood pieces that were part of their original installation and not needed in mine.  I then added pieces of the framework back in that were left behind when the shades were removed.  I also added an additional spacer on the inside to ensure that the closing shutters wouldn't hit the pipes.  I mounted threaded eyelets between the spacer and the original frame for mounting the shades to the new box.  The modified swell shades are pictured above.  The difficult part of this construction is that all the side panels will be removable for servicing and tuning.  I should be able to reach all tuning wires by removing only the treble side panel, but just in case, all panels can be removed. 

This week and next are both booked pretty solid with extra rehearsals and pre-Christmas events, but I hope to finish the swell box by the end of the year.  I will be applying oak veneer to the shutters and all exposed framework and the epoxy curing time may throw a wrench into my schedule.

In other news, Hardwood Heaven (a local wood working supply store) has moved their Lincoln shop to a convenient new location literally across the street from where I work.  I stopped in to check it out and left with a nifty pocket-hole jig, assorted screws, a new set of drill bits, and a new JET drill press on order.  I have wanted a drill press for some time, and they happened to be on sale.  Plus, I have been reposting a want-ad on the Church Organ Trader website looking for another windchest for the Rohrflote and Dulciana Celeste, but haven't had any response what-so-ever.  I will probably need to build a chest myself from scratch and a drill press is a necessary tool.