We have been hard at work on the refurbished instrument for St. Joseph Catholic Church in Salisbury, Missouri. After the hard work and extended travel we do for the winter tuning season we are back in the shop. As a part of this work, we have managed to conclude one of the milestones of organ building – all the pipework has been voiced in preparation for installation in the organ. During the voicing process for vintage pipework, we assess each note for speech, volume, and tone. Christopher goes through each pipe by hand and makes miniscule adjustments to the mouth, languid, toe hole, or tuning scroll to ensure each note blends well with the stop, with its neighbor, and matches the overall tonal scheme of the organ.
Before Christmas, we were able to make a special trip to Salisbury to install some of the completed pipework that has been restored to the façade of the organ. During the modification of the organ case, original toeboards were removed and new ones are being fabricated for the two side flats of the organ. Once those have been manufactured and mounted, the remaining front pipes will be returned to the case.
Meanwhile, we are working hard to finish chest construction, preparing the expression shades to be installed by providing new leading edge felt, and testing all components. Once we have received the new control system and stop action magnets, we will begin the final process of wiring to connectors, installing the new console components, and getting the organ wired up.
This project continues to move along and we look forward to being able to offer more updates as we near the installation mark.