Posted 6 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
Here's another assortment of the old organ tools I inherited from the storage locker -- there was a boxful of various 'wood handled' stuff too. ;-) :-)
These are various shapes/sizes of things called "nicking tools" -- used primarily during the original process of making and voicing organ pipes. The last pic shows the 'critical parts' of a couple typical junk pipes, tools like this are used to (hand) make the 'serrated' pattern (or something similar to it) seen on one part of each. (and the whys/wherefores of all that get complicated, and probably don't really matter here...) Each is essentially a little larger/smaller/different than the others, in order to be able to make different shapes/sizes of "nicks" in different kinds/sizes of pipes.
As can be seen, they have basically all been 'custom made' by their original user(s), by utilizing/re-grinding (for the most part) old iron files, along with whatever was handy to make a 'handle'. Also likely obviously, they weren't ever intended to be "pretty" -- just **something that WORKS**. :-) It truly isn't all that unusual (in our trade) for tools like this to be made 'as needed' (from whatever is otherwise laying around) if one doesn't already have one of the right shape/size.
It isn't really possible to attribute an exact date (not to mention maker?) to any of them, only to guess by their general appearance (and where I got 'em) that they're most likely from the earlier decades of the 1900's. ALSO FOR THE RECORD -- no matter their current appearance, they all remain *perfectly useful*...I've used more than one of these more than once, since I acquired the bunch. :-)
I guess this is a dying trade (or dead almost even now). I know whenever an organ at a cathedral or town hall is restored it's many years work. Very interesting post AO!
Thanks so very kindly to Watchsearcher, Vynil33rpm, fortapache, blunderbuss2, bottle-bud, racer4four, & Brunswick for having a look and tapping the <love it> button!!
Racer -- we're not quite dead yet by any means, though admittedly nowhere like the 'heyday of the industry' which, in the USA anyway, probably peaked within the early decades of the 1900's. Fortunately for us nowadays, lots of the best (or not) of the work of those 'heyday' decades (and before, and after) still remains extant to be cared for -- as well as a healthy (if diminished now) market for brand new "high quality" instruments. You are quite correct that it can easily take *many years* for a full-fledged restoration project to take place -- likewise 'new organs' usually take more than a few years to bring from start to finish. I'm glad you enjoyed my posting!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)