violins - help please
Hi all, I completed my first violin pipe today and it doesn't work. Looks wonderful but that is not much help. The pipe length/section/timber thickness are I believe as they should be - and it played the correct note: A sharp. As an open flue it seems to perform OK and sounds promtly & clearly. Cut up: To deturmine this I glued up the pipe less the front board and popped it on the cest. I slid the front board down untill it failed to speak and marked it accordingly, I then raised it likewise and marked it there. The front board was then glued exactly half way between these marks. The frein is made from 1mm brass and fixed to the cap as per usual and as drawn P110 in E.C. Cockayne's book. I have tried every possible position for the frein without any hint of a violin sound. What have I missed? What might I try? I am a complete beginer and need help, if I need to start again so be it. As an asside, which might be relevant, my organ started out at 6.5 inches of water on two belows springs. I was then told it sounded much better on one spring, certainly it was much kinder to the ear and more melow. This was then confirmed by an esteemed member of this group (feel free to comment) and has been on reduced pressure ever since. My understanding is that most church organs run at about 4ins and the higher pressures usually employed in our circles are for the benifit of the mechanical opperating system rather than the pipes. I am midi so pressure not relevant for me in that respect. Edward.

Hi Edward, You need to set the cut-up so that the pipe overblows without a frein. The cap's vertical position should be adjusted to suit. Then fit the frein to steady the pitch to the fundamental. I'm surprised the pipe speaks at all without its front glued on. Any leak could affect your results and be a contributory factor in your positioning decision. Best of luck, John

Hello Edward, The higher pressure usually 8 - 10" WG, is for volume mainly, although as you say, a pneumatic action is more responsive on a higher pressure. Church organs on 2 - 4" WG have larger scale pouches & motors to operate the pallets. Regarding violin cut ups, you need to consult your drawings, it's all on there. Of course you will need to lower the cut ups if you are voicing them on a lower pressure than they were designed for... Cheers, Rob.

Hi all, Good news, my violin pipes were not misbehaving! I am building my organ in a school workshop and progress is continually monitored by the pupils as they attend their woodwork/metalwork classes. I have been told that my 'violins' did not sound like violins at least 540 times now & was completely brainwashed (540 on the school role!). The pupils/staff were expecting them to sound like an orchestral violin - which they don't & won't. I know now! I have snail mailed the pipe to 'one who knows' and with a little tweaking here and there it has been given the OK. Construction resumes............. Edward.

If you could post a link to a sound clip (MP3 ?) of one of your pipes, that would be cool. Then we can all listen to it !! Stephen

Hi, Sorry my computer skills not up to that just jet. Now restocked with confidence I am now well into the construction of the violin pipes, four now complete, a further 30 in the process of being glued up and timber prepared for the remainder. Much more work in a violin pipe, but am very chuffed with the freins I am cutting out on the school's cnc milling machine. Wonderful to just push the green button and return half an hour later to a completed blank, with slots, ready to be buffed. Edward.

Hi all, The violins are now complete. Present progress: I hope the picture works, if not I will try again. The violins are in tune but too enthusiastic, rather overpowering. Patricularly the higher notes. They sream at you! I will need to stop and think. Not all is lacquered yet, hence different finish on some pipes, the wood is spalted sycamore. I believe the solution is to reduce the holes in the feet, happily an adjustment that is reversible. I am already on reduced pressure, just 4" so I assume a further reduction in that is unrealistic. The stopped bourdons sound terrific though, clear and melow. Next stop after the violins are sorted is 16' bass pipes. Anything else obvious to try apart from the feet on the violins? The yellow dots are labels numbering the pipes to the key board. Some of the stoppers will be shortenned to gain symetry later Edward.

god, that lucks like a great organ, i wish my work was as neat as that, great going

Good work Edward. Yes, the best method of adjusting the power of each note is the size of the foot holes. It would help if the feet were made separately, snd a few extra made with different sized holes, so you can interchange them until happy. Cheers John

Edward, The photo looks great! Hope we can hear a sound bite soon. One thing, I think 4" is on the low end for strings. Good luck, Bob

Hello everyone, Well done Edward. You're through to the next round. Yes John is right, throttling the top notes a bit will blend them in more with the rest of the rank. Strings, indeed all pipes will speak at most pressures. They just have to be made & voiced accordingly. Rob.

Is this a Dutch Street organ or a Small German Fairground organ(like Alfred Bruder 45/46-key style)?

Hi all, To be honest I do not know what it is, but there is an Alan Pell 'magic box' behind it all. I have recently aquired a 1907 Rutt cinema organ glockenspiel and Zylophone. I am told 1907 & Rutt anyway. The zylaphone is chromatic and complete but the glock has nearly half the bars missing. A bar is presently being analysed (non destructively I hope) to see if it is hardenned & the type of metal it is. I also have a set of 12' bass pipes from a church organ - was told they are very old, at least a hundred years. Happy to believe it but no evidence. I am delighted to be adding a bit of history. It is VERY loud though, I am still not used to it! It is back on 6" and the violins are voiced accordingly. The violins are from Carl Frei drawings and I am told sound the part. Edward

Frankly I think this is currently a Dutch Street Organ beacuse of the pipes. The First ranks are stopped flute's the second after that are Violen's both ranks I assume are used in the melody section(and so on). If this organ had some trumpets this would make a great fairground organ.

How many pipes?