16' Reed Offset

Of course, I wanted to extend my Oboe down to 16' (who doesn't want a 16' reed in their house organ?).  I really don't want anything that will shake the house.  Instead I wanted something that would just beef up and color the Bourdon.  I had been keeping an eye out for just about any reed extension (12 notes) with half-length resonators, 3" wind pressure, and not too loud.  I finally found 12 pipes listed on churchorgantrader.com.  They were originally built by Jerome B. Meyer as a clarinet but had quarter-length resonators.  Someone else extended the resonators to half-length and mitered them to fit under an 8' ceiling.  They needed a little work and the price was acceptable, but I knew it would be tough to find something perfect.

I bought these and they came with a small direct-electric chest.  The chest wasn't designed specifically for the pipes, but it should work, right?  Nope.  The toe holes in the chest were much smaller than the toe holes in the pipes.  Plus, I wasn't crazy about having one direct-electric chest with an otherwise electro-pneumatic organ.  So I set about building an offset chest.

The process was much like the chest I built for the Celeste and Rohrflöte.  The design was a little different though.  I put the magnets on the bottom of the chest and ran the vinyl tubing straight down instead of into the side with borings leading to the magnets.  This allowed the chest to be more compact and was a little easier to build.  The drawback is that if I ever need to do anything with the magnet, port, or armature, it will be a PAIN to access.  It worked when it was finished so I'm crossing my fingers.  The picture here shows the chest lying on its back side on my workbench.

The unique thing about this chest is that it is not chromatic.  It is random.  If you look at the album link at the bottom of this text you will see the complex miters of the resonators.  I could either have Bedient un-miter and then re-miter them to fit on a normal chromatic chest, or I could arrange the chest so all the pipes make room for each other.  I wanted to do the latter, but there wasn't a good way to do it.  I solved the problem by making the rack board so some of the pipes lean toward the wall and some lean out into the room a bit.  Not much, but enough that the miters will clear each other.  It will look a little goofy, but they will be in the far back corner (pity the organ tuner!) so no one will see them.

Reed Offset Album

Chimes

The one part I got done over the summer was to get the chime action completely refurbished.  I purchased a used 25-note set of chimes with striker action built by Maas-Rowe.  As always, I began with a thorough cleaning.  This time, it was mostly with the Shop-Vac.  I didn't want to get any of the components wet with soapy water.  While cleaning, I noticed two electrical components with broken wires going into them.  I have a copy of the original schematic and spec sheet from Maas-Rowe, but I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for.  I searched online to try to identify them and find a replacement, but nothing was obvious.  I checked with the other builders on the DIYapason forum, but no one there was certain what they were.  One person directed me to justradios.com, a website specializing in new components for antique radios and televisions.  I emailed back and forth with the owner and he was able to decipher the color coded dots on my components.  It turns out that this thing is a resistor and a capacitor built into one unit.  Their purpose is to help reduce sparking in the under-key contacts and also reduce interference with PA systems in a church.  I purchased 30 new resistors and capacitors so I would be able to replace any that fail in the future and have a few extras, just in case.  I soldered the two components in place, in parallel, just like the diagram showed and it seemed to reduce sparking a little.  They don't spark any more than the other contacts.  I won't have a PA system of course, so that doesn't really matter.

Next was to replace the old or missing striker tips.  There is little leather pad on the end of each striker to cushion the blow and create a more mellow tone.  Several of these were missing so I contacted Maas-Rowe to purchase replacements.  I was able to easily remove the old ones with a utility knife and clean the metal surface with a firm scraping.  The new tips are glued on with Pli-o-bond adhesive.  I actually put two tips on each striker for an even more mellow sound.

I also ordered from Maas-Rowe a new chime volume switch.  The volume is controlled by the voltage delivered to each striker.  There is a dedicated transformer reducing typical 110v household current to about 24v direct current.  This transformer can produce voltages from 15v to 28v.  Lower voltage is softer sound and higher is louder.  I had a couple of switches that came with the chimes, but they were for other types of chimes and didn't have 7 power levels.  I ran into some trouble though when I went to install the switch in the console.  There is a wooden bracket very close to the hole where the knob goes through board.  I went to the hardware store expecting to find an extension shaft and a collar, but had no luck.  I opted for a little piece of copper pipe and matching brass shaft.  I used a tap and die set to thread a couple holes through which I put set screws to hold the two firmly together.  It worked perfectly and the switch is now in the console.

The last part of this phase was to build the decorative canopy that hides the chime action.  I built this out of oak and used the same trim and molding as I will use on the decorative panel covering all the windlines and wires.  I used the same finish schedule and it is a perfect match to the swell box and console.  And, I built, stained, and varnished a mounting bracket that will make it all much easier to install.  A note on the pictures-  some of these are really grainy.  Apparently I bumped the exposure compensation button on the camera and didn't realize it for a while.

Chimes Album

Engraving

(Sorry for the belated post as I get caught up.  This should have gone up in April.)

My console was originally designed to play five ranks (Diapason, Stopped Flute, Salicional, Dulciana, & Oboe).  I have expanded it to seven, adding an independent mutation and a celeste, and swapping out the Dulciana for a Chimney Flute.  These changes meant that I needed to have my stop tabs re-engraved.  I debated for quite some time how to name the unified stops.  On one hand, I could simply call them what they are (Gedeckt 8', Gedeckt 4', Gedeckt 2', etc.) which is honest, but boring.  Or, I could be more creative and choose names that hint at the parent rank, but look more like what one might find on a straight organ (Bordun 8', Stopped Flute 4', Piccolo 2', etc.)  Although the former is easier for a guest to register, I am the one who will be playing it 99% of the time.  I opted to be a bit more creative and go with the latter option.  Considering my love of Bach, Buxtehude, Reger, etc. I gave the stops a decidedly German accent.  For example, the Stopped Flute is now:  Untersatz 16', Holzbordun 8', Gedeckt 4', and Bauernflote 2'.  I will try to add a complete stop list sometime, probably as a pdf, but I don't have that ready at the moment.  Also, the console did not have any nameplates identifying the divisions, swell shoes, etc.  Apparently they were kept by a previous owner because they were in better condition than the ones he had on another console.  I needed to replace these name plates and have the stop tabs planed off, buffed, and re-engraved with the new names.  I also wanted to have a builder's name plate engraved, since the organ isn't really enough of any one builder to call it his own.  After all, I am building a brand-new instrument from used parts, right?

I contacted Hesco, Inc. in Maryland and they were able to do all I wanted.  They specialize in engraving parts for organs, especially WurliTzer theatre organs.  I chose a font that was designed in the late 1930's, which is about the time when both my console and my house were built.  I sent the freshly-bleached stop tabs out for them to re-engrave.  They provided new name plates.  I was thrilled when they arrived back to me!  I got them all installed the next weekend.  Now the console is pretty much done, except for hardwiring the electrical, but I can't do that until it is in the living room.  I will also get a close-up photo up here as a 'sneak peek', but the console looks so finished now, I want to save it for the final installation photos!

Summer Projects

Yes, I know it's December and I am just now updating this blog with summer events.  I'm sorry about that.  It's been busy.

Anyway, I mentioned the new furnace that went in last winter.  During that project, I discovered some termite damage to the house near the front door.  Nothing structural or severe, and the damage may have occurred years ago and the termites are now long gone, but the damage needed to be repaired none the less.  The repairs meant removing the old concrete front stoop, replacing the rotten boards behind it, and repouring the stoop.  I also had the house treated for termites just in case.  I did all the demo and repair work myself and a buddy helped form and pour the new concrete.  It is much bigger now, and there is actually room to stand on the porch and open the door without backing down a step.  I will be dressing it up with Pennsylvania Bluestone on the top and brick veneer around the sides so it all looks original, but the weather got cold before I could get that done.  I will also be installing a paver sidewalk connecting the driveway to the stoop.

A slightly more organ-related project was the installation of wood blinds in the living room.  I have never had any coverings on the windows and I really don't want to be on display as I practice every day.  Plus, I don't want the sun beating through the windows flanking the fireplace for fear that the heat would throw the pipes out of tune.  I feel silly installing fancy blinds only to cover them up with pipes, but that's the way it goes.

I also have new basement windows on order.  One of them will be in the blower room and I want to get a more energy efficient window in that location so the air temperature in the blower room will be more stable.  Those probably won't be installed until spring, unless we get a really nice day in the next few weeks.

I also refurbished the organ chimes this summer and will be updating with that soon.

I am now in the process of restoring the wooden stopped flute pipes and I will update with that info after it is completed, hopefully before Christmas.