We repair a vintage Moline pump organ from 1892 for a total amount of $35.00 and show you a step by step process of how we managed to get it playing again.
You will likely find that many of us would like to see the repairs, reconstructions and restitution of instruments. There is something fascinating about seeing "how it works" that you experience when you rebuild something or see it rebuilt. This was a very engaging video and provided a lot of information that I did not know before. So saying, I vote "yes" for more videos such as this one. Of course, all of the videos including tutorial, performance, reviews and whatever you may come up with next are certainly to be appreciated as your passion and work shine through making these videos what they are...great!
Really interesting video. Thanks! The hand-made nails and tack were very cool The house I live in was built in 1890 and in doing renovations, I am always coming across hand-made square nails. I always save them, out of respect for the craftsman who made them.
Nice video. I’m in the middle of restoring a small reed organ that plays perforated paper rolls. Also have two portable folding Estey organs that need to be rebuilt. Bellows and pallet valves. Good to see that you are interested in preserving these American jewels!
This is great! Just got a free Mason & Hamlin pump organ (YB 91) that could use some tender love and care, I'm glad to have these videos as a resource!!
This video is a life saver! I just recently got an 1899 cottage pump organ, made by the Marchal & Smith piano and organ company of New York. One of the straps has come apart, and for the life of me, I have no local organ repairman where I live, so I'm going to have to repair it myself. I'm searching for a place that sells replacement straps that hopefully I can order from. But I'm not having any luck finding many antique organ repair shops anywhere. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 😊
Nice to see that the makers of this organ made the screws for the strips of wood that pull open the exhauster bellows at least somewhat accessible. On my Smith American, getting at the screws required removing (and thus later having to replace) a strip of rubber cloth that was connecting two boards at the bottom of the organ and putting a screwdriver through the slot. Much as I like the idea of using and preserving old fasteners, I think replacing those screws with modern lag screws (which can be undone from the side with minimal clearance) was an better idea than re-assembling the instrument with the old screws would have been. Do the pedals bottom out on anything before the straps pull completely tight? On a lot of organs, the straps pull completely tight, but that probably contributes to the fact that a lot of organs have broken straps. Having some sort of stop for the pedals themselves would seem a good idea, and my own are adjusted that way. I hope the repair proves satisfactory. My book on repairing reed organs says not to bother patching bellows because the patches always fail within a year or two. That was true of mine, but spending the money on professional bellows repair was much easier to swallow after I'd been using and enjoying the organ with patched bellows than it would have been if the thing had never worked right. That the old patches lasted 50 years boggles the mind.
My aunt and uncle had a pump organ in their old farm house in an upper floor! There was no way it would be removed unless they took it a part or cut a hole in the side of the house and lifted it out with a crane...lol. I was so fascinated by it as a child. It must have been put together in the house because there is no way it got up the narrow stairway that turned. So I imagine it is still in the house.
The tacks and nails by 1892 actually had long since (ca. 1800) been made by a mechanized process, as are some of the wood parts. All of the borders that we would call molding or molding-like, as well as some or all of the floral carving on Eastlake stuff, were made on shapers and pattern-following routers, much like they are today. The biggest difference is that the woodworking machines for making furniture, pianos, and organs, are larger and heavier than what you have in your garage workshop. The basics are the same as modern machines except that now there are computer controls. Great video however as are all videos on this channel. You have inspired me to "breath life" into my old pump organ!
That was a very interesting video and a very beautiful instrument! Pump organs are cool, you get the expression capabilities of an accordion and the form factor and intent of a tube organ, what's not to love? Our local parish has a pump reed organ I have roughly dated from 1905 and it works (miraculously) but it's in pretty bad shape (wood eaten by bugs, some keys get stuck, humidity, it's probably leaking air somewhere, but not much!). I was hoping to learn to repair it so I manage to get permission from the clergyman and getting it back to full speed. It's also the only "classical" organ I have access to so far, so I really want to pump it up, so to say... :-) Cheers!
Been wanting to get one of these for quite some time! I love reed organs but they're too big for my house so ive been using synths to play the organ pieces ive written
Put a dab of that rubber cement in the empty holes you pulled those tacks out of; they may have gone all the way through the wood and the holes will leak air if so. Also, American pump organ bellows generate SUCTION, not 'air pressure'. You are right; the Vox Humana depends on the suction to spin. It will probably work fine once the bellows are repaired. Lastly, you can use the rubber cement to fix smaller leaks in the bellows. Dab it onto the affected area, then pump up the bellows all the way and let them release. The suction will draw the glue directly into the holes and make a better seal.
I have acquired an American one here in the UK, I'm having to pump fast and continually to keep the sound going. I think air must be escaping. If I can get it repaired I will learn to play it.
The bellows need replacing - its a fiddley job it takes about 4 hours to do it - I retired 12 years ago and for 40 years I repaired all types of Organs and Harmoniums You can still get the material to recovering but it will be very difficult to find someone who knows what they are doing
James, I forgot to mention I often blunted the tips of my old metal nails so they would push the wood grain apart rather than splitting the wood.I suspect this applies to antique square wooden nails as well. Rik
I have an organ circa 1880 Mason & Hamlin _Boston USA . It's in need of restoration. As I live in Australia , and its such niche field can anyway steer me to who can do restoration work on it. Many thanks
Greetings to you James: " A man of many talents" hope that you are keeping well. What a fascinating look under the covers and through the dust of decades at your Moline Organ, i must admit (please forgive me for saying so) i was worried when i saw the organ upon it`s side! it certainly can throw up a lot of alignment issues when resting a vintage organ upon it`s side, even more when it`s returned to it`s natural orientation, hopefully for you all held it`self in place. (would your Moline rest upon it`s back ? perhaps on a low bench, it keeps things in a closer to normal alignment which can assist in restoration and often cause fewer problems during any work undertaken.) The small pieces of wood holding the bellows / pedal straps in place would be called of course blocks, and in the situation they were in would be know as block traps or block trap fittings, ie trapping the strap: where you stapled the ends, this would normally be folded over behind itself to provide a neat finish, and originally when nailed the double thickness of strapping would hopefully extend it`s useful life before having to be repaired or replaced. Strangely the tape looked familiar, been racking my brain for a while and i`m wondering if it is what we call in the UK carpet tape? (it is used to either join carpet together, or in it`s double sided incarnation to hold carpet in place) it is the right colour the right width, though you can get it wider, is supplied upon a roll, and is without doubt the sticky-est tape known to man so it may be that, splendid to learn that the adhesive qualities of your tape have lasted so well. Interesting to see in macro vision the little tack, it looks exactly like what are called upholstery tacks today, used to fasten fabric to wood, though machine made now, your little example with it`s hand made quirky charm, still looks very like the machine made tacks of today, (upholsters were often to be seen holding these tacks between their lips, perhaps a dozen at a time, and using a small spindly hammer to tap them into position, i imagine a practice possibly dying out as health and safety rules become ever more prevalent. Looking forward to part two of this vlog, If only to see you replace that carpet upon the pedals, gracious me that was a sight to behold, i wonder what was there originally ? perhaps leather or just bare wood ? have you discovered any other identifying marks, numbers, labels ? after filming, would be interesting to try to more fully identify the model etc. Many thanks James for a delightfully interesting Vlog, kind regards Simon.
My father is an upholsterer, and has been since the 1960s. Staples are the most commonly used today, tacks are very much a thing of the past. Today i was stripping down a chair (which had a little $10 monopoly bill inside dated 1935) and was completely fastened by these tacks. Anyways, your comment interested me because i was also wondering if it would be better to sit the organ on its side or back. I was leaning towards the back, although, then you deny yourself access to the back unless you flip it again... I have an old 1890s organ thats been in the family, and it plays great, although the notes have limited sustain. So i am attempting to troubleshoot and repair it.
Hi James what a magnificent instrument!!! A real object of beauty! I checked eBay and item number 232819672953 listed under "accordion bellows repair tape" I found a 27 inch by 24 inch sheet -- it looks to be more like a tire patch as opposed to a tape -- you have to supply your own glue, apparently. It's imported from Italy. I hope this helps you.
It sounds great too! I will upload a video soon of me playing it. I recorded one this morning, and just did the repair last night. I might take a few days to edit this next video as I am behind schedule. I will leave on Friday to go to Buffalo N.Y. to pick up a super vintage unplayed 1972 Fender Rhodes suitcase. It was kept in someones closet for the last 50 years, looks new!
When I had an Estey organ I could easily work on it as the peddle straps were easy to access as were the bellows. Now I have a Packard which is much more difficult and I had to have a professional replace the straps when one broke.
So. I was wondering did the fabric fix work? I would have though the fabric may have helped but may not have been air tight. Wouldn’t a vinyl coated material work better. Something like vinyl ulpostery.
to replace the ugly pieces of carpet on the pedals and get something very much similar to the original ones, you may be able to use small pieces of actual Eastern-style Persian or Turkish etc rugs ... some shops in Turkey for example, sell cheap cut pieces of old rugs that have been sewn into cushions for home furniture decor and use ... you'd surely be able to find similar ones here in the USA too ... also, they don't have to be original rugs necessarily ... there are inexpensive laminates at flooring stores that come with such old patterns as well ... or simply use a new piece of regular carpet only with a better texture and color ...
I will upload another video very soon. I am heading up to Buffalo N.Y. in a few days to pick up a super rare mint vintage 1973 Suitcase Stage piano, but when I get back I will upload a video of me playing the pump organ (sounds wonderful).
We are looking into getting a pump organ and the peddles squeak. My husband wonders if you could oil something to correct that, or do the straps need replacing. Would that cause the squeaking?
You'd probably have to take it apart to find where the squeaking is coming from, honestly it could be from anything. If the straps seem like the culprit, replacing them would probably fix the issue.
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I recently bought a 1870 pump organ and found this very helpful, thanks!
You will likely find that many of us would like to see the repairs, reconstructions and restitution of instruments. There is something fascinating about seeing "how it works" that you experience when you rebuild something or see it rebuilt. This was a very engaging video and provided a lot of information that I did not know before. So saying, I vote "yes" for more videos such as this one. Of course, all of the videos including tutorial, performance, reviews and whatever you may come up with next are certainly to be appreciated as your passion and work shine through making these videos what they are...great!
Really interesting video. Thanks! The hand-made nails and tack were very cool The house I live in was built in 1890 and in doing renovations, I am always coming across hand-made square nails. I always save them, out of respect for the craftsman who made them.
I enjoyed the enthusiasm you showed for this old organ.
Nice video. I’m in the middle of restoring a small reed organ that plays perforated paper rolls. Also have two portable folding Estey organs that need to be rebuilt. Bellows and pallet valves. Good to see that you are interested in preserving these American jewels!
Thanks for your video, it's help me before i repair my estey organ brattleboro
This is great! Just got a free Mason & Hamlin pump organ (YB 91) that could use some tender love and care, I'm glad to have these videos as a resource!!
This video is a life saver! I just recently got an 1899 cottage pump organ, made by the Marchal & Smith piano and organ company of New York. One of the straps has come apart, and for the life of me, I have no local organ repairman where I live, so I'm going to have to repair it myself. I'm searching for a place that sells replacement straps that hopefully I can order from. But I'm not having any luck finding many antique organ repair shops anywhere. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 😊
Great stuff, man. Looking forward to hearing how it sounds.
Nice to see that the makers of this organ made the screws for the strips of wood that pull open the exhauster bellows at least somewhat accessible. On my Smith American, getting at the screws required removing (and thus later having to replace) a strip of rubber cloth that was connecting two boards at the bottom of the organ and putting a screwdriver through the slot. Much as I like the idea of using and preserving old fasteners, I think replacing those screws with modern lag screws (which can be undone from the side with minimal clearance) was an better idea than re-assembling the instrument with the old screws would have been.
Do the pedals bottom out on anything before the straps pull completely tight? On a lot of organs, the straps pull completely tight, but that probably contributes to the fact that a lot of organs have broken straps. Having some sort of stop for the pedals themselves would seem a good idea, and my own are adjusted that way.
I hope the repair proves satisfactory. My book on repairing reed organs says not to bother patching bellows because the patches always fail within a year or two. That was true of mine, but spending the money on professional bellows repair was much easier to swallow after I'd been using and enjoying the organ with patched bellows than it would have been if the thing had never worked right. That the old patches lasted 50 years boggles the mind.
I love Reed organ music.
My aunt and uncle had a pump organ in their old farm house in an upper floor! There was no way it would be removed unless they took it a part or cut a hole in the side of the house and lifted it out with a crane...lol. I was so fascinated by it as a child. It must have been put together in the house because there is no way it got up the narrow stairway that turned. So I imagine it is still in the house.
Good video. I've repaired/recovered Reed organ bellows.
Look forward to progress videos.
The tacks and nails by 1892 actually had long since (ca. 1800) been made by a mechanized process, as are some of the wood parts. All of the borders that we would call molding or molding-like, as well as some or all of the floral carving on Eastlake stuff, were made on shapers and pattern-following routers, much like they are today. The biggest difference is that the woodworking machines for making furniture, pianos, and organs, are larger and heavier than what you have in your garage workshop. The basics are the same as modern machines except that now there are computer controls. Great video however as are all videos on this channel. You have inspired me to "breath life" into my old pump organ!
Love this video!
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
That was a very interesting video and a very beautiful instrument! Pump organs are cool, you get the expression capabilities of an accordion and the form factor and intent of a tube organ, what's not to love? Our local parish has a pump reed organ I have roughly dated from 1905 and it works (miraculously) but it's in pretty bad shape (wood eaten by bugs, some keys get stuck, humidity, it's probably leaking air somewhere, but not much!). I was hoping to learn to repair it so I manage to get permission from the clergyman and getting it back to full speed. It's also the only "classical" organ I have access to so far, so I really want to pump it up, so to say... :-) Cheers!
There is an organ at the university I am at that has the same issue, it barely plays but it does make a sound.
These are so cool. Tempted to get one lol
You should! They are very inexpensive because many people do not want them.
Been wanting to get one of these for quite some time! I love reed organs but they're too big for my house so ive been using synths to play the organ pieces ive written
Lovely!! we have a similar Estey 1906 (although it's not quite as colourful) and hoping to fix some non-sounding keys
The pedals would have had fancy cast iron plates about 1/4 Inch thick on them
Put a dab of that rubber cement in the empty holes you pulled those tacks out of; they may have gone all the way through the wood and the holes will leak air if so. Also, American pump organ bellows generate SUCTION, not 'air pressure'. You are right; the Vox Humana depends on the suction to spin. It will probably work fine once the bellows are repaired. Lastly, you can use the rubber cement to fix smaller leaks in the bellows. Dab it onto the affected area, then pump up the bellows all the way and let them release. The suction will draw the glue directly into the holes and make a better seal.
Another thing on this instructions is how to access and clean the Reeds.
I have acquired an American one here in the UK, I'm having to pump fast and continually to keep the sound going. I think air must be escaping. If I can get it repaired I will learn to play it.
The bellows need replacing - its a fiddley job it takes about 4 hours to do it - I retired 12 years ago and for 40 years I repaired all types of Organs and Harmoniums You can still get the material to recovering but it will be very difficult to find someone who knows what they are doing
James,
I forgot to mention I often blunted the tips of my old metal nails so they would push the wood grain apart rather than splitting the wood.I suspect this applies to antique square wooden nails as well.
Rik
Thank you rick for the tip.
How about playing like Lurch on Adams Family, some waltzes or something...
Man - where was the internet back in 1970 when I bought a old used 2 manual and pedal board reed organ.
Those are cool, and not very common! What happened to it? I will have a video of mine in a few days, the repair worked!
I have an organ circa 1880 Mason & Hamlin _Boston USA . It's in need of restoration. As I live in Australia , and its such niche field can anyway steer me to who can do restoration work on it. Many thanks
Greetings to you James: " A man of many talents" hope that you are keeping well.
What a fascinating look under the covers and through the dust of decades at your Moline Organ, i must admit (please forgive me for saying so) i was worried when i saw the organ upon it`s side! it certainly can throw up a lot of alignment issues when resting a vintage organ upon it`s side, even more when it`s returned to it`s natural orientation, hopefully for you all held it`self in place. (would your Moline rest upon it`s back ? perhaps on a low bench, it keeps things in a closer to normal alignment which can assist in restoration and often cause fewer problems during any work undertaken.)
The small pieces of wood holding the bellows / pedal straps in place would be called of course blocks, and in the situation they were in would be know as block traps or block trap fittings, ie trapping the strap: where you stapled the ends, this would normally be folded over behind itself to provide a neat finish, and originally when nailed the double thickness of strapping would hopefully extend it`s useful life before having to be repaired or replaced.
Strangely the tape looked familiar, been racking my brain for a while and i`m wondering if it is what we call in the UK carpet tape? (it is used to either join carpet together, or in it`s double sided incarnation to hold carpet in place) it is the right colour the right width, though you can get it wider, is supplied upon a roll, and is without doubt the sticky-est tape known to man so it may be that, splendid to learn that the adhesive qualities of your tape have lasted so well.
Interesting to see in macro vision the little tack, it looks exactly like what are called upholstery tacks today, used to fasten fabric to wood, though machine made now, your little example with it`s hand made quirky charm, still looks very like the machine made tacks of today, (upholsters were often to be seen holding these tacks between their lips, perhaps a dozen at a time, and using a small spindly hammer to tap them into position, i imagine a practice possibly dying out as health and safety rules become ever more prevalent.
Looking forward to part two of this vlog, If only to see you replace that carpet upon the pedals, gracious me that was a sight to behold, i wonder what was there originally ? perhaps leather or just bare wood ? have you discovered any other identifying marks, numbers, labels ? after filming, would be interesting to try to more fully identify the model etc.
Many thanks James for a delightfully interesting Vlog, kind regards Simon.
My father is an upholsterer, and has been since the 1960s. Staples are the most commonly used today, tacks are very much a thing of the past. Today i was stripping down a chair (which had a little $10 monopoly bill inside dated 1935) and was completely fastened by these tacks.
Anyways, your comment interested me because i was also wondering if it would be better to sit the organ on its side or back. I was leaning towards the back, although, then you deny yourself access to the back unless you flip it again...
I have an old 1890s organ thats been in the family, and it plays great, although the notes have limited sustain. So i am attempting to troubleshoot and repair it.
I seem to recall some mention that my mother many years ago had an organ of this type in her house.
Hi James what a magnificent instrument!!! A real object of beauty! I checked eBay and item number 232819672953 listed under "accordion bellows repair tape" I found a 27 inch by 24 inch sheet -- it looks to be more like a tire patch as opposed to a tape -- you have to supply your own glue, apparently. It's imported from Italy. I hope this helps you.
It sounds great too! I will upload a video soon of me playing it. I recorded one this morning, and just did the repair last night. I might take a few days to edit this next video as I am behind schedule. I will leave on Friday to go to Buffalo N.Y. to pick up a super vintage unplayed 1972 Fender Rhodes suitcase. It was kept in someones closet for the last 50 years, looks new!
Fascinating!
Cool thumb tack and square nails too.
Glad you liked them, I thought they were super neat as well. They all went back in the organ except for the thumb tack (I saved that one).
I just picked up a Bridgeport pump organ can you please tell me what it might be worth
When I had an Estey organ I could easily work on it as the peddle straps were easy to access as were the bellows. Now I have a Packard which is much more difficult and I had to have a professional replace the straps when one broke.
Nice organ. I'm getting my first parlor organ tomorrow...I don't think it works, but should make for a fun project!
They are of simple designs and are fun to work on.
ThePianoforever I repair clock and plan to keep my organ in my shop. It will be fun to play it for customers ones I get it working.
I used Tacky Glue on an Accordion repair.
Same issue as a Hammond M-3 on the open bottom. I cover the bottom with a 1/4" sheet of Plywood.
So. I was wondering did the fabric fix work? I would have though the fabric may have helped but may not have been air tight. Wouldn’t a vinyl coated material work better. Something like vinyl ulpostery.
This repair was not ment to be permanent, but so far works well. It would be best to do a complete rebuilt of course.
to replace the ugly pieces of carpet on the pedals and get something very much similar to the original ones, you may be able to use small pieces of actual Eastern-style Persian or Turkish etc rugs ... some shops in Turkey for example, sell cheap cut pieces of old rugs that have been sewn into cushions for home furniture decor and use ... you'd surely be able to find similar ones here in the USA too ... also, they don't have to be original rugs necessarily ... there are inexpensive laminates at flooring stores that come with such old patterns as well ... or simply use a new piece of regular carpet only with a better texture and color ...
James,
So...What does it sound like,now?
That's like playing a song and never resolving the ending....arghhhhh:)
Cheers,
Rik Spector
I will upload another video very soon. I am heading up to Buffalo N.Y. in a few days to pick up a super rare mint vintage 1973 Suitcase Stage piano, but when I get back I will upload a video of me playing the pump organ (sounds wonderful).
I’ve got one with a giant shotgun blast in the back board.
03:30 > they don't make tapes like that anymore! ;-)
My pump organ works. Can I turn it on its side very temporarily to get it through a door when I move it downstairs to my basement studio?
We moved our that way.
An other problem common with these organs was the springs would sometimes break and the bellows would not fill with air.
We are looking into getting a pump organ and the peddles squeak. My husband wonders if you could oil something to correct that, or do the straps need replacing. Would that cause the squeaking?
You'd probably have to take it apart to find where the squeaking is coming from, honestly it could be from anything. If the straps seem like the culprit, replacing them would probably fix the issue.
@@ThePianoforever My husband took off the front panel and oiled some things. Now it doesn't squeak!
Hey James, a question, how did you tilt the organ to the side?
Why no part 2??
Could possibly be gaffers tape ?
Didn’t actually see you making the repair.
I checked a lot of handbooks with woodworking plans. Instructions from woodprix are the best I think.
Rename those so-called thumbtacks. Let us call them carpet tacks.
🤗🎧
Probably
Gorilla tape