What's New?

August 19, 2010

We were very fortunate to attend the first ATOS Technical Experience on July 18-22, 2010, in Zanesville, OH.  We thoroughly enjoyed the very interesting and informative presentations, demonstrations, and discussions.  It was also a great opportunity to renew old friendships and to make new ones.  The event was held in the beautiful home of Dr. Karl and Barbara Saunders, and seeing, hearing, and feeling (WOW!) their magnificent 3/31 WurliTzer was a thrill!  Since this was the first event of its kind we didn't know what to expect, but any and all expectations that we had were exceeded.  If you're working on a project like ours or are in any way interested in the technical aspects of the theatre organ, RUN, do not walk, to the next Technical Experience!  You won't be sorry.  The picture below is the official group photo of the 2010 Technical Experience that was taken and provided by Richard Neidich.  Many thanks to everyone who's hard work and dedication made this event so successful!

Our work continues on the regulators and toy counter.  Before we left for the Technical Experience Barry removed all the old leather from and cleaned the three regulators that will go in the Main Chamber to get them ready to be releathered.  One of the topics covered during the Technical Experience was the releathering of regulators, so when we returned Barry was ready to tackle the daunting task.  The first picture below shows him releathering a set of ribs and the second picture shows the regulator with all of the ribs releathered and in place and ready for the application of the gussets.

Larry has been rebuilding the toy counter - and there are lots of toys to play with!  Below are before and after pictures of the crash cymbal action (and you better not ask which is which :).

July 2010

We're making progress, and since the last update of this section we rebuilt and refinished the last of the offset chests:  the 8' Solo String (12 pipes), 8' Viol d'Orchestre and 8' Viol Celeste (24 pipes), and 8' Diapason (7 pipes).  Pictures of the offsets are found below in the order listed above:

Work has started on the three regulators for the Main Division, and all the old leather, duct tape (yikes!), coal dirt, and assorted glues have been removed, and after some minor repairs they will be ready to be releathered.  In addition, about half of the toy counter has been rebuilt and the rest will follow shortly.  We took one step backward to take two steps forward in regard to the marimba harp after we were advised by a trusted local organ builder and friend that the felt that we used on the mallets will probably deteriorate with use very quickly.  After unsuccessfully trying to find  another type of suitable felt that was more dense, we decided to stop wasting time and order a set of mallets with felt from Ken Crome, and we are currently waiting for their delivery.  After the new mallets are installed on both halves of the harp action, they will be installed in the Main Chamber.

May 2010

Well, it's been three months since we updated this section of the website, and quite frankly that's because we're still (ugh!) working on the marimba harp!  If we had known how much time and money would go into the harp we would have probably abandoned it and replaced it with a digital sample, but at this point it's too late for that option and besides, it's almost complete.  A friend recently gave us this advice about the harp:  "You need an organ playing.  Stop playing with your harp and get the organ playing!"   We totally agree and wish it was were that simple, but we MUST complete the harp and install it before any pipes can be placed on the chests because the harp will be installed on a 12' high platform in the rear of the chamber, and we'll need to stand on the chests (without pipes and of course with protection) to lift the harp into place.  A majority of our work for the last month has been devoted to experimenting with various sized wooden balls for the new mallets and with various types and densities of felt that will be glued to the mallets.  We found that the sound of the harp is very dependent on these two variables, so finding the correct combination was critical.  At this point we're happy with the results.  We also recently put air in the harp actions for the first time, and were very happy to learn that the retrofit to reduce the air leaks worked very well.  However, we also found that the exhaust from the primary motors sounded like the air brakes on a 16-wheeler, so we built new muffler boxes to reduce that noise.  That amount of primary exhaust noise might go unnoticed in a large theatre, but it would be very noticeable in our intimate installation.  Below is a picture of of one the rebuilt harp actions without the muffler boxes, which aren't yet completed.

February 2010

We have decided to purchase an Artisan Micro-MIDI Control System to replace the original air relay and combination action of the organ, and have ordered all of the circuit boards necessary to control the console.  The decision to purchase the Artisan System was based on extensive research and our experience with the Artisan Legacy Control System which controls the 3/20 WurliTzer Theatre Organ that is installed in the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York, PA, which is home to the Susquehanna Valley Theatre Organ Society, our local ATOS Chapter.

We're still working on the first half of the harp action, which is taking longer than usual because we are modifying the action in an attempt to eliminate the air leaks that were inherent in the way that WurliTzer built these earlier actions.  Unlike other tuned percussion actions, the harp has internal pneumatics which are open (filled with air) when not in use, and when notes are played the pneumatics close.  WurliTzer inserted a wooden dowel through the pneumatic and the action chest, and when a note is played the dowel is pushed through the action chest by the closing top of the pneumatic, which in turn pushes the mallet arm causing it to hit the harp bar.  Even though the hole in the pneumatic was bushed with felt, the action was prone to air leaks since the internal pneumatic was always inflated when not in use.  

The modifications we are making were first outlined in an article by Allen Miller in the January/February 1991 "Theatre Organ" journal (pp. 26-27) with several updates provided to us by Don Phipps.  We are replacing the wooden dowels with 3/16" diameter stainless steel rods with 7/16" diameter collars fixed to both ends.  These rods travel through a Delrin bar that is 1 1/4" thick and 2" wide and is attached to the outside of the action chest.  The Delrin replaces the wooden blocks used in Allen's original retrofit.  This modification decreases the original 3/8" diameter dowel opening to a 3/16" opening and consequently reduces the amount of air that can potentially leak when the action isn't being used.  Many thanks to Allen Miller for his original concept and to Don Phipps for providing us with the help and information needed to update the retrofit.

The pictures below show the Delrin (white plastic bar) in place on the harp action and one of the stainless steel rods with the collars attached that will replace the original wooden dowels.

January 2010

The restoration of the second four-rank chest is now complete and the chest is installed in the Main Chamber.  The picture below shows both four-rank chests in place in the chamber.

All of the chests and offsets for the Main Chamber are now complete and installed!  Of course to get to this point we had to take one step backward and two steps forward.  Thanks to some very helpful suggestions by Dennis Unks, we removed the top boards from the first four-rank chest to make some modifications prior to installing the second chest. 

We are now working on the marimba/harp, and in the process learned that the mallets on it are not the usual maple balls with felt pads glued to them, but they were rubber cores wrapped with varying layers of felt and/or rubber and then covered with felt.  We are planning to replace these unusual mallets with hardwood balls and felt.  We also started to work on the toy counter which will be mounted above the harp in the Main Chamber.  The wind box for the toy counter is 9 feet long and will have to be modified because it is actually longer than the width of the chamber! 

Our goal for 2010 is to complete the Main Chamber and get eight ranks playing.  Before that can happen we need to (1) rebuild and install the marimba/harp. chrysoglott, and toy counter; (2) rebuild and install three regulators; (3) rebuild and install the blower; and (4) purchase and install the solid state relay and combination action for the console.  That's all! 

WANTED:  If you are the owner of "The WurliTzer Pipe Organ: An Illustrated History" with "Opus 501" printed on the cover, we would gladly purchase a new copy of the book for you if you would kindly consider trading your copy to us.  We didn't yet own Opus 501 when the book was published and consequently didn't request that edition.  Just go to the "Contact Us" section of this website and send us an email.  We would REALLY appreciate it!