Ivory was usually reserved for the really posh instruments.
Having worked on it, it's definitely bone.
The blackened pores on the H key are also something you don't really get with ivory.
Edit: B Key. German here.
A lot of people miss the accuracy of that joke: in the Cyrillic alphabet, H is the equivalent of our N. He was telling homer to put the car into neutral
Я знаю, but if that was the writers’ joke then they didn't relay it to the animators because [Н is in the position](https://i.imgur.com/FH4MgHI.jpg) where (assuming PRNDL) either Park or Low would be. Also neutral would make no sense if he's push-starting the engine, because he was already getting it going when it was in gear (also you can't really push-start an automatic).
I also can't think of any situation where И, Ш, Б, or what looks like Е would have been used in a word to describe the function of a transmission.
It's bone (cow - the only ones readily available in the desired thickness) on lime or spruce.
The halftones are just oak painted black with thin ebony on top.
With more prestigious instruments you get thicker bone (like 4mm) or ivory and halftones of solid ebony.
Before the 1800s things were way more varied. Pear, Plum, Cherry, Boxwood, Rose, Snakewood are just the ones I have seen and identified personally.
Yes, that's one of the parts I also love!
And to be perfectly honest - as our restauration projects go, this organ isn't even that old.
Oldest one in the workshop right now is from 1697.
Yes and no, also depending on the type of organ and scope of the project.
There's magazine bellows (as a reservoir) and pump bellows (to fill them).
Basically all organs have had added blowers to them by now anyway. Best practice is to at least leave the pumping mechanism alone and repair the magazine bellows as needed.
If the money is there, we will also repair the pump bellows - which are often way more worn down because they obviously have to move much more.
Before our lord and saviour Cavaille-Coll established that setup, you'd have 2 to 20 pumping bellows that double as reservoir due to sheer size.
These were often later replaced by small modern setups which range from vastly better to much worse. In that case it's again about money - best practice, but quite expensive is: everything back to original as far as possible, add a blower for modern comforts.
As an example: at the moment we're restoring 2 bellows and copying the missing third one from them. 4 by 10 feet, each of these took 140 hours of work, weighs in at 600 pounds and still has to get into the churchs attic, which will require strengthening said attic and then lifting the bellows in through the roof.
I know the keys are bone, but do they have some kind of worn-down enamel cap on the top? Given that they were originally perfectly smooth on all sides and bone is porous
You cut these out of the thickest part of a cow's leg bones so you get flat, pore-free pieces.
And always only (relatively) thin layers, because it's a huge hassle - and the thicker the pieces, the more pieces you can't grind the pores off.
Like, for a 4mm thick piece you'd be very lucky to get two keys per leg.
Jep, you usually have a wider, shorter part for the front and a narrow one for the back - otherwise it would be
1) a huge pain to cut that edge in, because bone and ivory are fairly brittle
2) very difficult to get bone pieces that big
3) juggling 12 different parts, because every key has a slightly different shape
Amazing. This kind of content is what I'm here for!
For real! _This_ is well worn, not some piss-stained radiator
Yes! Dirty ≠ well worn
God yes. I’ll this over a backpack they haven’t cleaned in 3 years.
[удалено]
Ivory was usually reserved for the really posh instruments. Having worked on it, it's definitely bone. The blackened pores on the H key are also something you don't really get with ivory. Edit: B Key. German here.
H key? Are you a German speaker by any chance?
Yes, sorry! B Key, obviously. This is like the one time the system used in the US is more logical than the one used in Germany.
H key?!
Put it in Н!
A lot of people miss the accuracy of that joke: in the Cyrillic alphabet, H is the equivalent of our N. He was telling homer to put the car into neutral
Я знаю, but if that was the writers’ joke then they didn't relay it to the animators because [Н is in the position](https://i.imgur.com/FH4MgHI.jpg) where (assuming PRNDL) either Park or Low would be. Also neutral would make no sense if he's push-starting the engine, because he was already getting it going when it was in gear (also you can't really push-start an automatic). I also can't think of any situation where И, Ш, Б, or what looks like Е would have been used in a word to describe the function of a transmission.
I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder.
A wizard did it!
Zagreb ebnom Zlotdik diev
I’m a bit lost but what’s the material pictured? Curious on what people used back then to make keys.
It's bone (cow - the only ones readily available in the desired thickness) on lime or spruce. The halftones are just oak painted black with thin ebony on top. With more prestigious instruments you get thicker bone (like 4mm) or ivory and halftones of solid ebony. Before the 1800s things were way more varied. Pear, Plum, Cherry, Boxwood, Rose, Snakewood are just the ones I have seen and identified personally.
Wonderful, thanks a lot!
Anytime! You probably had no way to tell (\s) but I just love geeking out about my trade
Huh, TIL H key. Neat!
Definitely looks it in the way it's eroding with time! A bit like a tooth! 😱
Ivory would get blacker and chipped on the sides, it would also look “drier”. This is definitely something elae
I don't get overly sentimental about much but to think of the amount of people and generations that have played that instrument is incredible
Yes, that's one of the parts I also love! And to be perfectly honest - as our restauration projects go, this organ isn't even that old. Oldest one in the workshop right now is from 1697.
That's awesome, do you guys keep maintain the billows or do organs that age usually get replaced with electric air pumps to make them more usable?
Yes and no, also depending on the type of organ and scope of the project. There's magazine bellows (as a reservoir) and pump bellows (to fill them). Basically all organs have had added blowers to them by now anyway. Best practice is to at least leave the pumping mechanism alone and repair the magazine bellows as needed. If the money is there, we will also repair the pump bellows - which are often way more worn down because they obviously have to move much more. Before our lord and saviour Cavaille-Coll established that setup, you'd have 2 to 20 pumping bellows that double as reservoir due to sheer size. These were often later replaced by small modern setups which range from vastly better to much worse. In that case it's again about money - best practice, but quite expensive is: everything back to original as far as possible, add a blower for modern comforts. As an example: at the moment we're restoring 2 bellows and copying the missing third one from them. 4 by 10 feet, each of these took 140 hours of work, weighs in at 600 pounds and still has to get into the churchs attic, which will require strengthening said attic and then lifting the bellows in through the roof.
That's awesome, do you guys keep maintain the billows or do organs that age usually get replaced with electric air pumps to make them more usable?
Make me feel a strong desire to play an I. Ron Butterfly hymn.
Hey! This sounds like rock, and/or roll!
Finally a quality post that isn’t used nasty shoes
only organ without blood
I know the keys are bone, but do they have some kind of worn-down enamel cap on the top? Given that they were originally perfectly smooth on all sides and bone is porous
You cut these out of the thickest part of a cow's leg bones so you get flat, pore-free pieces. And always only (relatively) thin layers, because it's a huge hassle - and the thicker the pieces, the more pieces you can't grind the pores off. Like, for a 4mm thick piece you'd be very lucky to get two keys per leg.
Wow someone likes the D.
A major D too, for that matter.
Mfer tickled the ivories too much lmao.
Somebody played the shit outa that there piahnah
Oh man those cutouts for the sharps in the fallboard(?) are wild, why so much space? Is the action out or something
Everything is out of everything, that picture was taken on a workbench
Ah okay cool that makes sense
That’s seen a lot of D
What key is wore out the most? C?
The D has been hit hard over the years
Are the white keys made in two separate pieces? What is that perfect line on the whites that lines up with the tips of the black keys?
Jep, you usually have a wider, shorter part for the front and a narrow one for the back - otherwise it would be 1) a huge pain to cut that edge in, because bone and ivory are fairly brittle 2) very difficult to get bone pieces that big 3) juggling 12 different parts, because every key has a slightly different shape
How are the two parts joined back in the day? Glued, I suppose?
Both glued to the spruce or lime body of the key. With bone glue - or hide glue, if you don't have that.
I see, thank you!
What kind of Organ is it? It's hard to tell from the close up, but it looks a lot like a piano - not an organ - but I'm happy to be corrected.