Great Strides!

I can now saw that the Oberwerk is 100% FINISHED!!! Seeing that the Hauptwerk is also on the fast track to being completed, I would say that Opus 1 is around 75% complete!! I think the easiest thing to do is go in order of this weekends progress.

Like I said in the last post, there were two areas of the Oberwerk (OB) that i needed to finish in order to complete the OB. The first was the top molding. I finished painting some of the new molding parts I had to re-cut and then glued them all together. After it dried, as usual, I cut, painted and glued a skin on the top to make it whole.

Oberwerk at 99% Completion

Next was the bottom molding. All I had to do there was glue them on. So, piece by piece, I did just that. Thankfully, it came together rather nicely, especially the molding around the center section. For once, gluing molding didn't raise my blood pressure.

While all of this was drying, I designed the pipe shades for the Hauptwerk (HP) division. Not only that, I ended up cutting out both the top and bottom shades for section 3 as well as all four pipe shades for the tops of section 1. I decided to change the design for the pipe shades for section 3 (the center section). Remember, the grill is wrapped around the pipe guide. I decided to add "wings"to the end which would fit inside the pipe box and help keep the shape of the grill.

The "wings" are on the left and right side

The idea was a great success and I wish I thought about this earlier. Be that as it may, I then sealed, primed and painted them.

BEFORE

AFTER

The four pipe shades for the top of section 1 have all been sealed, primed and painted. However, I didn't glue them on yet. As of now, I will not be putting any grill work on section 2. As the HP continues to come together, I'll make my final decision then.


I've been meaning to give you, the viewer, a better idea of scale. So, I placed a quarter at the bottom left of the model, right next to the left pedal case. I hope these pictures give you a better idea of how large this model actually is.

Here are a few other pictures of the current status of Opus 1.

"The organ is [...] the most complex of all mechanical instruments developed before the
Industrial Revolution. Among musical instruments its history is the most involved and
wide-ranging, and its extent repertory the oldest and largest. No other instrument
has inspired such avowed respect as the organ." (Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1889)

You Got to Admit, It's Getting Better...

...it's getting better all the time! Indeed, things are certainly moving along very nice and much progress to the completion of the Oberwerk was accomplished this weekend. First things first, molding consumed most of my time. This includes cutting, painting and gluing. Let me start with my progress with the Hauptwerk before delving into the work accomplished on the Oberwerk.

Both section 2a and 2b are now finished. They are painted and the pipes glued in place. Concerning molding and pipe shades, I have some ideas. However, I won't decide anything until they are glued in place.

Hauptwerk Section 2A and 2B

The molding was also cut for Sections 1A, 1B and 3, that is to say, the two side sections and the center section. You may need to turn your head 180º for this picture.

Molding for Hauptwerk Section 3

Current Status of the Hauptwerk Division

Now onto the Oberwerk (OB). I wish I could say that it is 100% finished. Alas, I cannot. However, I can say it's 98% finished. After I placed all the pipe shades on last weekend, the next step was the top molding for the two pointed sections of the OB. To be honest, I didn't have much problems with the cutting and gluing.

The two top molding features of the Oberwerk

Once they were glued in place, it was time to make two skins to cover all the mess on top of the OB. These skins are very helpful in covering up the gluing mistakes (and even some cutting mistakes) and solidifies it as one piece.

To completely finish the OB, I need to glue the bottom molding which would connect the console area with the OB box. All the pieces are cut and painted and are ready o be glued in place. The top molding of the OB (similar to section 3 of the Hauptwerk) needs to be glued on. If you go back a few posts, I went ahead and glued most of this molding together and waited until now to glue it on. Bad idea. I ended up creating new pieces and salvaging the two ends of the already made pieces. As it stands now, I need to do some final painting and then can glue them all in place.

Sorry - this one came out a bit blurry

I haven't ended a post with an organ video in a while. As I sat thinking about which one, my eyes came upon a statue I have of St. Peter. So, in honor of St. Peter, the first pope, the rock...I end with a video of a young Dame Gillan Weir playing Henri Mulet's Toccata on tu es Petra. I had the honor of being a part of a Master Class with Dame Weir back in 2008 as a student at the University of Florida. (click for picture) Enjoy!

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
- Matthew 16:18-19 RSV -

GOLD!!

All the grills are glued in placed on the Oberwerk and I'm very pleased with the result. Yes, there are a few things that I wish worked out better, but that's just me being over-critical. I also started painting Section 2 of the Hauptwerk division. Here are the pictures!

Oberwerk Front

Oberwerk Side

Oberwerk with Assembly

Keydesk

Keydesk with Pipes

Hauptwerk - Section 2

Next weekend will be devoted to the molding for the Oberwerk division. So, until next time!

The Shades are Up!

I dedicated this weekend to just one aspect of the model that really needed to be done...the grill work, also know as pipe shades. So, amidst some other activities this weekend, I managed to FINISH all the shades for the Oberwerk division as well as finish painting the pipes for section three Hauptwerk division.

Pipes (LT and RT) for Section 3 of the Hauptwerk Division

If I really wanted to finish all the Obwerwerk shades, I needed to design the one designated for two "pointed pipes" columns. All in all, I managed to do it all!

Top View

Side View

All that needs to be done now is to seal, prime and paint each one. I currently have applied only one coat of sealer. Throughout the week, I will finish this entire process so I can start gluing them on this weekend.

After the first coat of sealer

So, not a lot of everything, but a whole lot of something. I'm very happy to finish these and looking forward to seeing all that extra gold color amidst all the pipes. Until next time...Merry Christmas and Happy Epiphany! (Yes secular world...we still have one more week of Christmas!)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and All That Jazz

After a nice two week break away from this project due to Christmas and New Years celebrations, I'm back at it. Surveying the project, I see I still have much more to do, though recognize the great progress within the past few months. There are a few changes that I might make. All will be reveled as time goes on and I come to a decision.

I focused my attention on the Hauptwerk today. The pipes for Section 1 are in place and fit well next to Section 3.

I also decided to scrap Section 2 completely instead of trying to modifying them due to some poor measurement. As I started to cut the new parts and comparing it to the existing section, I realized that I did a very poor job of putting that section together and did not think ahead with how the pipes will fit inside. Both new Section 2's are assembled. I need to sand the sides flat, as one of the supports were put an an angle and now stick out. The pipes are currently in the process of being sealed and painted.

A rough assembly of the Hauptwerk division

A new year is upon us, which means new challenges as well as new opportunities. This model alone brought new challenges for me as well as an opportunity for both my creative and technical side to work side by side. Again, I thank all of you who continue to monitor my progress. Please do not hesitate to leave comments on these posts. Until next time!

Opus 1 - About 80% Complete