The Home Machinist!

hammermill wrote:white kind/grade of leather goes into the joints??

Pipe organ work requires many different types of leather. Some tiny pneumatics require the use of Zephyr skin, which is intestinal membrane from sheep. (Basically sausage casing) The leather I use on small primary and secondary pneumatics is sheep hide, planed to about .012" in thickness. Larger striker pneumatics on tuned percussions use Kangaroo hide and the large regulators use a combination of cow and horse hide. Suede is used for gaskets.

Keith

AWESOME proejct!

dcmus wrote:AWESOME proejct!

It keeps me busy!
I was recently given another theatre pipe organ, built in 1920 by the Robert-Morton company. It is surplus to my needs so I have given it to a 15 year old incredibly talented young organist. Tomorrow (May 27th, 2015) a caravan of volunteers will be driving to Mt. Desert Island, Maine to remove the organ from it's home of many years.
You can hear how talented this young man is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU0KQ3zglI0



Keith

Ahhh, Pipe Organs. My favorite musical instrument.
Over the years I have experienced three different pipe organs set up in private homes. Talk about knocking a house off its foundation! Those 16-footers can vibrate a neighborhood into dust.

Seattle enjoys the Paramount Theatre, which has survived intact to be fully restored, including the original theatre organ. The organ was maintained for several decades by volunteers from the local Pipe Organ Preservation Society. Our Family and Friends have enjoyed the winter movie series there of original silent movies accompanied by the few surviving experts for such entertainment. They travel the Country playing for an increasing number of such venues. The original Phantom of the Opera was spectacular in that theatre!

Stories:
My mother was a concert pianist before my time, and I remember visiting Disneyland in the late 1950s. She met an old friend who was playing a pipe organ there, so she sat down and got to play it herself! Cool memories.
Last story:
When my then-13-year-old son and I were visiting the Salisbury Cathedral in SW England,
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
an incredible pre-steam (mentioned for this discussion board) Gothic Construction, we were sitting quietly in all the immensity of that Church when the Pipe Organ began playing. After several minutes my son leaned over to me and said: "Now I understand the historic power of the Church!" Smart kid...

So I'm pleased to hear that you are keeping another amazing instrument alive. Go for it!
Now if it were powered by steam... THAT would be one huge Calliopy!
~RN

NP317 wrote:Last story:
When my then-13-year-old son and I were visiting the Salisbury Cathedral in SW England,
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
an incredible pre-steam (mentioned for this discussion board) Gothic Construction, we were sitting quietly in all the immensity of that Church when the Pipe Organ began playing. After several minutes my son leaned over to me and said: "Now I understand the historic power of the Church!" Smart kid...

So I'm pleased to hear that you are keeping another amazing instrument alive. Go for it!
Now if it were powered by steam... THAT would be one huge Calliopy!
~RN

I was in London in '05, I think it was, over Christmas and decided to head to Westminster Abby for Christmas Eve Mass... I don't know if they fire up their pipe organ for every service but they did for that one! After mass they ushered us out in an orderly manner, from where I was sitting I got to walk through the choir loft and organ gallery as it was playing! That was an Awsome experience.

I just went to watch the video and it says it is unavailable. Is that a problem living in Canada or are others having the same problem?

redneckalbertan wrote:I just went to watch the video and it says it is unavailable. Is that a problem living in Canada or are others having the same problem?

I works fine for me (and I agree, the young lad is outstanding). It could well be that it is not available for Canadians, although I certainly can't understand why that would be.

Harold

It wouldn't be the first time content was blocked to Canadians... I can't fathom why.

Late to the table on this one. "Here is a shot taken in my shop with an unusual project in hand"

I've found that pipe organs and live steamers (separate and together) are not very unusual at all!

Comstock-Friend wrote:Late to the table on this one. "Here is a shot taken in my shop with an unusual project in hand"

I've found that pipe organs and live steamers (separate and together) are not very unusual at all!

I used to know a fellow named E. Jay Quinby. Jay was a founder of the Branford Trolley Museum, a part owner of the Delta Queen Steam boat and he had a Möller pipe organ installed in his Summit, NJ home.
One day I mentioned to Jay that if the Alexander Hamilton was steaming up the Hudson River there was a core group in attendance. That same group of enthusiasts would also be present when a steam locomotive was running excursions out of Hoboken Terminal and that same group would be at Radio City Music Hall for a concert on the Wurlitzer pipe organ. He said he too saw the same bunch at these seeming disparate events. After much thought he concluded that these were the people on Earth with good taste!
Keith

Keith,

Quite a few of the LALS members were interested in steam and pipe organs. Doug Alkire comes to mind as one.

John

That young man does know his way around the ranks!

I've loved pipe organs for about 65 years now, since I first heard E. Power Biggs play the San Francisco Paramount organ when I was 5 years old. In high school I would travel to see any organ I could. A few friends and I went to the last playing of the SF Paramount before they tore the theater down. One of those friends purchased the organ and has now installed it in a special addition to his house. He also owns a music company....

I have always wanted to travel Europe to hear the cathedral organs.

There is nothing in the world like the power, and finese, of a full organ. It's a full body experience.

Pete