Removing paint from a mahogany organ case

Once the extraneous pedal pipes and mechanism were removed from the Flight and Robson organ the extent of the 'vandalism' done to the mahogany case was apparent. This photograph shows the upper part of the case temporarity reassembled in my workshop so that I could get dimensions for reconstructing the lower part of the case. The lower right side panel is what the original case looked like.

I decided to use a heat gun to soften the paint and to gently scrape it off. This seemed to work reasonably well. Since most of the panelling frame joints had opened up it was also fairly easy to take the panels apart and to gently remove the applied carved details. The real advantage of this is that paint in the otherwise inaccesible corners can be readily removed. All of this work is something that can be done in old woodwork that has been assembled with animal glue. It would be quite a different proposition with modern synthetic adhesives. The panels will be reassembled using hot animal glue and the carved details reapplied in a similar fashion

These are the two surviving panels of the lower part of the case during the first stages of paint removal. The original sets of square holes for the stops on each side can be seen. The later holes cut into the case will be filled in, as will the rather crudely cut slot for hand pumping. The organ will be pumped using a foot pedal that can be fitted into one of two positions, one for the player to use and another for an assistant. That is most likely the original configuration.

1811 Flight & Robson chamber organ - Restoration from the bottom up!

Access to the action is at the rear of the organ. The transmission of the action from the keys to the pallets is through a set of splayed backfalls with curved ends that engage with sloping ramps at the rear of the key lever. This simple mechanism is identical in many respects to that developed by Samuel Green in the second half of the eighteenth century but certain features indicate that it is based on Green's work rather than being by Green himself.

In order to gain access to the rear of the chamber organ to adjust the mechanism it is likely that the lower frame would have been fitted with either wooden rollers or wheels (of wood or metal) to allow the whole instrument to be moved away from a wall. As the whole of the lower frame of this organ needs reconstructing it seemed logical to begin from the bottom up.

Having drawn out plans of the lower frame so that it will support the upper case and windchest, as well as providing room for the feeder and bellows. I decided to make a set of four rollers from beech and to use iron pins for axles. The rollers are 100 mm long and 50 mm in diameter. The pins were made from 8 mm iron rods to which I threaded half the length so that they can be firmly fixed into blocks at either end. It is not very sophisticated but the rollers only have to allow for a limited movement of a few feet or so once in a while. As the frame itself is taking shape the rollers will be fixed on and I will be able to move organ around in the workshop while I make the lower panels and the bellows.

Restoration of an 1811 Flight and Robson chamber organ - beginnings

For more than a hundred years a church in Leicestershire used a small chamber organ to accompany its services. In the 1920s the organ was extended to include a rank of pedal pipes and an additional keyboard stop. Some time later the whole organ was painted in an alarming custard coloured paint which concealed a solid mahogany case.

The retracting keyboard was fixed in place to allow coupling to the pedals and a music desk made of veneered plywood replaced the orginal mahogany panel above the keyboard. Most of the lower case had been removed to allow for provision of larger bellows and all that remains are the two original pilasters with the square holes for the stop shanks. Despite these alterations, all eight of the original small stop knobs have survived and match the surviving pipework (of which more in a later post).

When the organ was removed from the church (not by me) the lower frame containing the bellows and pedal board was discarded as it was heaviliy infested with woodworm.

When I acquired the organ in May 2011 it had been in storage for a few years and had been dismantled. This had been done professionally and all the pipework carefully packed.

I began by looking for any evidence of the origins of the organ in the instrument itself as the history of the organ prior to 1896 was not known. It is not at all unusual for old organs to have no indications of the maker/date. However, in this case the underside of the lowest key lever (and hidden from view unless the key is lifted from the frame) had the following inscriptions in ink: "A D 1811" and "F&R", clearly suggesting that the organ had been made by Flight and Robson in 1811. These two inscriptions are accompanied by more recent lettering in white by an organbuilder active in Leicestershire in the 1960s.

Entering the Blogosphere at last!

Now that my move to a new premises in Kent is all done and more or less dusted it seems a good moment to let folks know how work is progressing.

I have been working as a restorer of pipe organs for four years now. It is a second career for me and not a retirement project. Although the move to Kent was a major upheaval it did create an opportunity to build a workshop area more suited to the work I do. In a nutshell, I rented an empty barn and, with the help of my brother who is a professional carpenter, built an inner floor, walls and ceiling that should enable me to work all year round in relative comfort.

From time to time I will post progress reports on various restoration projects. In the meantime here are some before, during and after photos of the new premises.

The Grain Store Workshop when I took it over at the beginning of June 2011 

 The level floor begins to go in.

 My brother, Robin, at work on the office end.

The 'shop front' complete with new sign. The weeds have now gone and some painting has been done. I shall find some more recent photographs!