Introduction:me and my instruments

[Jule]

Hi there,
I'm Jule, pianist and conductor with a very soft spot for any vintage keyboard instrument. In other words: I can't say no to any instrument with the slightest hint of keys on it. Starting with hurdy gurdy, monochord, clavichord....all the way to.....reed organs.
In fact, my latest discovery!Marvelous! Great fun!
I have always been interested in non-main-stream music. while my fellow students at university were buys playing trios etc. day in day out, I started a salon orchestra and really loved it!
Part of such an orchestra is either a harmonium or accordion or bandoneon.
We had quite a good bandoneon player hence no need for me to go out of my way.
But since then(well over 20 years ago) I have been on the look out for salon music/ parlour music, basically late Victorian/Edwardian "pop music".
Through sheer luck I found some original sheet music for harmonium/American organ from 1890 to 1910.
But needed an instrument to play the music on (yes, a cheap excuse to buy myself a few more vintage keyboard instruments )
I found:
-Hillier Organ Company
Nice instrument, in tune though half a tone sharp, American organ, nicely decorated but part of the coupler action missing

-Alphonse Cary's American organ
All parts there, bellows could do with some attention (plain English: they've got holes all over the place)
slightly out of tune in itself, which give the instrument the "gothic feel"

-Alexandre père et fils harmonium
Best thing about it: it works. But I've come to the conclusion that I'm on my way to becoming an American organ addict. French harmoniums are simply too heavy and somehow don't "talk" to me like other instruments do(nuts? me????)

Why I registered on here:
As I said I can't keep my hands off vintage keyboard instruments. We have restored some square pianos one of which I use as a concert instrument for our duo program.
I am not afraid of restoring the organs, but need the materials for getting started.
Canvas/rubber cloth is probably the most urgent material. Certain types of wood, perhaps.....
Most of the other bits and pieces are similar to the ones we used for the squares.

We are based in the wild wild West. That is: Wales.....
Are there any people in our area (who are as potty about these instruments as I am?......no, I didn't write that!!)?

I have decided to turn the instruments and the sheet music I got into a nice little organ program.


Cheers

Jule

[PeteKnobloch]

Look for a Player Piano repairman in your area. They will know where to get new bellows cloth for your pump and reservoir. Some of the piano supply houses also carry these types of materials so a regular piano tech might be able to order it for you.

Pete

[indianajo]

When I want materials without a pattern I go to my favorite industrial supply house. Try this: http://www.mcmaster.com/#9470K48
although I would try a 6x6 sheet first to see if it was flexible enough. This is 1/32" sheet, they also sell 1/64" thick sheet. I'm sure someone in the UK is also selling aramid reinforced buna-n rubber to the the industrial gasket market.
I'm makeing a toilet bolt gasket today out of buna-n sheet (not reinforced) with stamp cutters for the round holes and scissors for the long edges. Going to make gasoline can cap gaskets, next week. Will use silicon rubber for that.
I've seen a hurdy gurdy played on TV, Arcade Fire band. But don't believe I've ever seen a bandoneon.

[PeteKnobloch]

It looks like http://www.mcmaster.com/#9470K48 is used for rubber gaskets and not suitable for replacing bellows cloth. I am sure that the only way you will be able to glue it is with silicon RTV or contact cement which should never NEVER be used in an old musical instrument. The player piano rubberized cloth has a cotton fabric vulcanized to it so it can be glued with the traditional hot hide glue or fish glue and is very flexible. Both glues are water soluble which makes it easy to remove without damaging the wood in the next rebuild.

Pete

[indianajo]

Somebody tried to give me his aunt's unrestored player piano two weeks ago at church. 600 pounds of mediocre upright piano plus how many pounds of player mechanism? My country trailer has rotted 1" (actual 13/16") boards for flooring, I had to turn it down. Probably end up down on the ground with the groundhog. Another one goes to Goodwill and ultimately the dumpster in the back. Fish glue? canvas? I worked with some guys on the 614 steam engine crew who thought the old way was the only way. They found some original 1940's Texaco lubrication blocks for the axles, and installed them. After 35 miles, we had to inch it over hours to a siding so we could spend a week coming up with some alternative lubrication system for the axles. Another trip, after we dropped the train (emergency brake came on) with the original couplers, the railroad came up with a rule about no mainline use of passenger cars and engines without tightlock couplers.
I hope the UK still has player piano repairmen. None around here, I guess from reading the prices of player pianos on craigslist. I'm not volunteering to learn the craft. Vulcanizing - wonder if anybody bothers with that now that extruder machines from resin are available. Buna N is about as nice a synthetic rubber I know of, except for gum which has a life of about a year in industrial service. Would require some experimenting with glues and canvas, of course, no engineering project comes out perfect the first time. Matter of fact, I've got some non-reinforced Buna-N I'm monkeying around with today making toilet gaskets. I'll see if I have some Elmer's glue in the garage that is not dried up (animal glue, muscilage) and see if cotton t-shirt material will stick to it.

[PeteKnobloch]

You might be surprised. Dan Tuttle from Indianapolis Indiana does player work and is very busy. Maybe he needs some help from someone who understands why these newer products are not used. I seem to have to deal with the damage done to these old players because someone thought the newer materials & glues were better. Arggg.

Pete

[SubBase]

There should be no problem obtaining bellows cloth, leathers (for the Alexandre) and felts of any type over in the EU zone.
Louis Huivenaar of the Netherlands (http://www.harmoniums.com/) can get you whatever you need. The Reed Organ Society's representative for the UK is Mark Jefford, a fine restorer as well: Mark@nle.demon.co.uk
The Alex would obviously sound the closest to the composer's intent. Have you tried using the "Expression"?

Casey

[Jule]

Hi Casey,
yes,I did try the expression but it sound awful. We took the instrument apart and even made a film of pumping and filling the reservoir then playing a note and letting the air out again.
Actually, the Alexandre bellows aren't made of leather but canvas covered in layers of thin blue paper.
As I say, I don't quite know what to think of the Alex.
I bought it because of the name/maker but as soon as we had it in the house I had the feeling I wanted to get rid of it.

Couple of months ago I played the harmonium part of Rossini's Messe solennelle (and the organist played the piano part which I found odd in the first place...) and had the very same feeling of no communication with the instrument( a Williams harmonium).
I'd rather put the money into the American organs.

Would faux leather with the fabric on one side do the job?

Jule

[searchinferu]

Jule,

The hurdy gurdy? Very popular in the East of course. At least one Canadian artisit, Loreena McKennitt, prominently features one in a great percentage of her work. I have seen them in concert and often wondered where one would learn to play such a crank and key instruent, let alone figure out how to include it in todays music. But, then again, I'm not an artist......Grin, Bill

[Jule]

Do you remember this thread?
http://www.organforum.com/forums/sho...net-organ-1874

I just bought it!!!!!
Will be delivered on the 27th.

Can't wait!

Jule