Just completed restoration on a 1907 (I think) Kimball. This was rescued from the elements before the Arizona monsoon got to it. 183 reeds, two non-operable. Seems to be in tune. My question is about the air "tightness". When I pump the pedals 10 times, 5 right and 5 left, and stop and press a key, the note sustains for 7 seconds. That's with the vox humana removed and the hole on the reed pan taped over. With the vox humana on I get about five seconds, but the little leather flap needs some work. Is this considered acceptable? Here's before and after pics.
Thanks for your help.
Dave
organ 002.jpgcabinet 004.jpg
You have one of the best. You need to redo the bellows completely. Any note should be able to sound much longer than 5-7 seconds. I had a guy completely redo my Crown Reed Organ by Geo P. Bent, and the vox humana was completely removed since it was literally in total ruins. He connected that stop to the knee Swell via the stop tab which I renamed Orchestral Forte.
Baldwin Church Organ Model 48C
Baldwin Spinet 58R
Lowrey Spinet SCL
Wurlitzer 4100A
Crown Pump Organ by Geo. P. Bent, Chicago, Illinois
Organs I hope to obtain in the future:
Conn Tube Minuet or Caprice even a transistor Caprice with the color coded tabs
Gulbransen H3 or G3, or V.
Wurlitzer 44, 4410, 4420, ES Reed Models, 4300, 4500, Transistor Models
James,
Thanks for the reply. The bellows appear to be in very good shape. I redid the gasket between the lower action and the reed pan with a double layer of rather thin leather, suede sides touching. Before I attempt the bellows rebuild I may try to beef up that gasket. Also, the leather covers on the exhauster valves are slightly curled and the problem may lie there. What kind of sustain are you getting on your Crown? What should I be shooting for; 15 seconds, 20 seconds? A minute?
Dave
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