To Infinity and Beyond

Everything is coming together nicely and Opus 1 is nearing 100% completion. I expect next weeks post will be pictures of it mounted in place, on display for all to see. Like I said in the last post, the weekend was dedicated to preparing the shelf/choir loft. At this point, the shelf is all stained and ready...

...I would say the corbels are also ready. Although, maybe one more coat of sealer...

...and the molding is almost finished. I need to do around 2 coats of sealer followed by another round of the ivory/white combination.

So, what remains? I need to secure the brace that has been glued to the Ruckpositiv and paint it. This brace will be used to mount the Ruckpositiv to the shelf. I would also need to paint it red as well.

Following this...

1. The corbels can be screwed in place to the shelf
2. The shelf and corbels can be aligned and mounted to the wall
3. The molding may be glued to the shelf and any touch-up jobs may be done at that time.
4. The keydesk base can be screwed into the shelf. Afterward, the Oberwerk may then be glued to this piece.
5. Once everything is securely fastened and in place, the Hauptwerk can be placed on top of the Oberwerk, the two pedal towers are placed next to the center piece...

...and then you have a complete Opus 1!! It is amazing that a year has come and gone.

I've recently stumbled onto a phrase that is not commonly used here in the US of A. The word is Gap Year and, according to dictionary.com, can be defined as, a year's break taken by a student between leaving school and starting further education. Synonyms may include sabbatical, time off, time out and a year out. In my vocation, it may be called a leave of absence.

Call it what you will, but this year has certainly been a gap year and this model will forever symbolize this year of my life. It has kept my mind on this year and the personal goals that I set for myself back before I started this project. It has become a new hobby and I have learned a lot! However, the year is coming to and end. Though I cannot publicly announce what is the next chapter in my life, I can say that there will be enough time to potentially build TWO MORE ORGANS before this gap year officially ends.

I will go into more detail in later posts when I start them. However, to give you an idea: Opus 2 will be a fictitious "rock organ" for my dad. I spoke of this in a previous post. However, the design has completely changed. Opus 3 is a large chapel organ around 10in wide and 18in tall with 51 pipes. To put that into perspective, Opus 1 has a total of 171 pipes. Pictures and my usual rants about the history and designs of both will come in time. Until then, I thank you for checking out my organ blog and seeing the fruits of my labour.

Until next time...