Today, the pedal boxes start to shed some color. Still, it was a tough move forward. I knew that I would not match the color of the Muller organ at St. Bavo completely. Still, I wanted some sort of red. I got two different reds from Sherwin-Williams. However, when you opened up the lids, they pretty much looked the same.
After a few coats on a test piece. I decided on one of the two colors. It's name: "Red Bay." Still, I was wondering how to apply it. On the test pice, i just painted the wood. I then tried a test piece that was primed with black spray paint. In the end - and it took some convincing - I decided to just start painting the boxes that Red Bay color. First, I had to paint the inside black. This is the area behind the pipes. The black will allow the silver pipes to really shine.
I then started with the red. As I applied more and more coats. It grew on me even more and am pleased with how it has come out.
I still need to do some touch up here and there. After that, I'll be ready to glue the pipes in place then add the painted grills. After that, I will glue the molding. It still needs to be cut. I will do this next weekend. I will paint the molding first before gluing it to the boxes.
The pipes are held against a guide by a rubber band to hold it's shape.
Patience is a virtue. I'm happy that this is nearing completion. I already have the cut list ready for the Oberwerk division. I hope to do that either during the week or certainly next weekend.
I'd like to thank all those who take the time to look at my progress. I invite you to comment on any one of my posts. I haven't figured out how to add a comment box to the blog. I'm sure it's possible.
I alluded in the previous post about the final aesthetics using the organ at St Bavo as an example. I have been considering this for a while. I have found a few websites that sell hand-carved painted wooden angles. Looking at the current design, if I were to include some, it would look just a bit awkward.
A close friend pointed me in the direction of the Fritts Organ at St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio. I took one look and thought...
...they had to have used the Muller Organ at St. Bavo as inspiration! So. After looking at this one and the Muller again, and again, and again...I decided to make a few changes to my model. One thing I was lacking was that upper division. I've been using the terminology Oberwerk and Ruckpositiv. Now, that's only two divisions on a three manual organ? It's only fitting that I add that top division, which I shall call the Hauptwerk. In reality, the nomenclature should be switched as the Oberwerk should be the Hauptwerk and vice versa. But I digress...
By adding that Hauptwerk, it allows me those "notches" to add angels. So, looking at the few websites that I have found, I chose at least these four angles to be placed in each "notch" between the Oberwerk and Hauptwerk.
LL - LC - RC - RR
I also found two angels which I may or may not use. They could be placed on top of the pedal boxes.
LL - RR
SO...I present the updated Opus 1. The model does not have any top molding displayed. Likewise, all the gold grill work is not in the model. You'll just have to see that as the project progresses.
Last, to give you an overall idea for the placement of the angels, here's a cheap Photoshop rendition:
As always, I really have my work cut out for me. The overall dimensions have changed to around 22.25 x 28.00 x 11.00. Thankfully, the pedal boxes are nearing the finish line and I am very pleased with how they are coming together. I bought another two potential colors for the case. I'm praying that one will be the right fit! The new saw blade and belt for the Dremel table saw will arrive on Friday according to the USPS. I hope, by Sunday night's post, all the molding will be cut and at least one box's molding will be glued on and the paneling glued as well. We'll just see. until then, here's progress...
Where do I start! First, as you saw from my last post, I cut out the top grill work. On Friday, I went ahead and cut to shape the guide rail for each grill to be glued against. I then glued them. It looked great and everything was coming together! Then, Saturday morning, something was very obvious when may dad and I were dry fitting everything together...this new grill assembly does not fit! Needless to say I was not happy but, as with anything, there was a solution. Thankfully, I left a lot of "meat" at the top of the grill. The rail was only 1/2 inch, so i just cut that guide rail off and was left with a little over 1/2 inch of wood remaining at the top of the grill.
After putting in the pedal assembly into the case, we realized that the top grill can be glued onto the rail that the pipes are actually glued into. Since I had to cut 1/2 inch, I was afraid that the top molding will now cover some of the grill design. Luckily, it only covers a small feature at the very top. I'm perfectly fine with that. Problem averted.
The big task for the weekend was painting! All the grills and pipes were sealed, primed, and painted. However, I ran into some issues which quickly became lessons for the remaining project. First, I now know the importance of a lacquer sealer. Even though I did two coats, I should have sanded a bit more between coats. This epiphany didn't happen until after I started spraying the final color.
Primed Pipes
Primed Grills
With the few times I worked with spray paint, I know that it could leave "burs"or a rough surface. That's why i used sealer. However, as I was painting the pipes silver and the grills gold, I realized that i should have used more sealer and it needed to be sanded again. So, I did just that. I sanded the gold grills and silver pipes. Sealed them and yet another problem was averted. By the end of the day, I can say that the grills are done and the pedal pipes could use one or two more coats.
Bottom Grills
Top grills right after their last coat
Pedal pipes shortly after their second coat
A few other activities this past weekend. I wanted to start cutting the top molding for the right pedal case. I cut the bottom molding last week. I ran into a problem that I should have foreseen when I started. The Dremel table saw that I've been using needs a new blade. It has it's age and has been used many times over. The blade, though I've been able to use it here and there, is dull and is burning the wood as I push it through. It would not cut the top molding as the blade would literately stop midway even though the machine is still on. What does this mean? No molding work until I get a new blade. I purchased one online today along with a new belt...that couldn't hurt.
So what else did I do while the table saw is out of commission? Use the band saw, of course! I decided to cut out the organ bench sides. This was trickier than I thought it would be.
Conceptual design for the console bench
Bench Sides
Weather these are the ones I actually use, I'm not sure yet. I don't think they're that bad but you can see how it's not completely symmetric. Still, the bench and key desk areas will be hidden by the Ruckpositiv. Of course that doesn't mean I skimp on the details (remember all those stops I turned down!!)
I end this very extensive update with a small change to the project. Looking at "Opus 1" in SolidWorks, and considering certain aesthetic elements upon its completion, i decided to extend the Oberwerk division out by about 1.5 inches. This now makes the Oberwerk less hidden between these massive pedal cases. This will also allow for less cutting as the walls are 4 inches now. The stock I'll be using is 4 inches! You will also notice that I will be adding a sort of "paneling"to each side of the pedal cases.
An Updated Opus 1
SO...I hope the table saw blade and belt arrive by Friday as I want to start cutting and glueing some molding! I also need to start finalizing on a color for the case. Remember, the aesthetics of this model is coming from the organ at St. Bavo Church (Haarlem, The Netherlands) which is a sort of "oxblood" red. I bought two samples and I did not like either after I painted each on a test piece. I hope to pick up a few more samples and either test them this week or next weekend. Once I have that color, then we're in business!
Until then, here is Mozart's Fantasy in F played on the organ at St. Bavo church. A 10 year old Mozart actually played this very instrument. It is such a beautiful and ornate organ, true to baroque design. It is no surprise that Mozart declared the pipe organ as the "King of Instruments!" No other musical instrument can compare! Long live the King!
Both top grills have now been cut and sanded down ready to be glued around it's guide rail. I'll need to pick up some thicker wood (1/2in) to make the guide as there is much more meat at the top. This is to lower the grill so it is visible as that first inch is behind the molding.
Today I worked on the bottom molding for one of the pedal divisions. I knew the angles were going to give me a bit of a headache, but I managed to figure it out. I know I will still have some more adjusting as I glue them to the box.
They couldn't stand up, so I laid them on their side to give a general idea on how it would look.
This took a few tries and I only have so much of this molding. I should have enough for these pedal boxes. However, I will need to buy more one I start the other divisions of this organ. I forgot to take a picture of the top molding, which is a bit bigger and a small design etched into it. I'll continue this molding next weekend.
I also went ahead and sanded and glued the bottom grills. One of them produced a small crack which needs to be fixed before priming. However, I'm happy with the end result. I was worried that the entire piece of wood was going to snap. However, it's being wrapped around a guide that is 4in in diameter. Thankfully that's wide enough for it not to crack, despite the small chip I did get.
One last feature I completed before calling it a day was the top covers. As you see in the other pictures from previous posts, when you look at either the top or bottom, you see the two wall boards and the back board all glued to the top piece.I wanted to give the designated top a unified look before the top molding is glued on. So, I traced the top onto a sheet of the very thin birch pine that I use for the grill. It certainly gives it a nice look!
The tape helps hold the piece firmly to the box while gluing.
Finished product!
If I'm up to it during the week, I will start to cut out the top grill design. Movin' right along!
Unfortunately, I could not accomplish what I planed to do this weekend. I had to take a time out due to a cold. However, I did manage some other digital stuff that didn't involve saw dust in my face. I needed to to design the upper grill work for the pedal division. Both of the bottom grills have been painstakingly cut...literately. My fingers are quite numb after cutting an intricate pattern into 1/64in birch pine.
Bottom Grill
The finish product for the bottom differs slightly from the above concept. As I cut the wood, there were times when I cut right through one of the flourishes. So, I had to improvise because I did NOT want to start all over again. Thankfully, both have been cut and there are, for the most part, identical.
As for the top, I did this today in photoshop. Like the bottom, you cannot get the best idea with how it will look once cut out. Most of it are notes for me on where and where not to cut. The majority should be pretty obvious. However, this will be the pattern and you will just have to stay tuned for the result. No doubt my hand will be killing me after these two are done!
Top Grill
This part of the project is by far the most time consuming and most difficult part of the project. Then again, I have not attempted the molding. That challenge will be for next weekend!
Happy Labor Day! This nice three day weekend was filled with labor - a labor that I certainly don't mind. I have accomplished everything that I expected to on this model. I wanted both pedal boxes put together. So, I sanded down all the wood and started doing just that.
Awesome glue! Dry's quick and holds strong!
While the pieces were drying, there were a few other things that needed to be done. That included the assembly of the pipes. I drilled all the holes for the guide and made a gluing fixture to keep the shape of the pipes.
A few other pieces not shown are two frames for the grill to form around. More on that in the coming posts. Either way, I'm very happy with how the project is going and the fruits of my labor.
After I got the hang of gluing one box, I started the other at the same time.
I still need to glue the other set of pipes together. I only made one gluing fixture so I could not do both at the same time. Either way, I am happy and I think this calls from some music. I'll end the day with one of my favorite Bach fugues - Fugue in E minor (Wedge).
I enjoy John Scott Whiteley's performance. The video is, well, it seams like the production studio were on acid. However, doing just a little research, there is meaning behind it and it very clever. Taken from Whiteley's webpage,
"In the prelude to the ‘Wedge’ fugue (548) there are various sequences
aimed at attempting to parallel the music with views juxtaposing the
exquisite Baroque decoration of the organ case with the austere
simplicity and strength of the architecture of the church. The ‘Wedge’
notion invited numerous possibilities, the main idea being the tapered
reflections. Rather than merely showing wedge-shaped designs as the
fugue subject was announced, these were intended to have a cumulative
effect as the fugue progressed. The music desk was removed and replaced
with a large mirror so that many shots have their inbuilt reflections.
These first appear at end of the exposition, following which all kinds
of reflections appear: split-screens of the organ case, manuals, stops
and even hands. At the da capo the idea is driven out as the manuals
appear in moving vertical wedge shapes." (Ref.)
