Rain is rolling across the South just in time for the Easter break
The Met Office says the home Bank Holiday forecast is fairly mixed, especially today and tomorrow, but should pick up towards the end of the weekend.
Showers will hit central England today - while parts of East Anglia and Kent enjoy bright sunshine and dry weather.
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Oh well ….No Mouse-ing today
14 comments:
So very typical, ain't it, eh?
LOL
Too Right! I'm working away on my first organ. I'm having terrible problems with my bellows. I'm following john smith's busker organ plans. I've made them with the spill valve and the spring on top as he suggests. Unfortunately I find it impossible to get the pressure reading above 1.5! I keep checking for air gaps but can't find any. I fear it might be something wrong with the valves. How do you know if the valves are being efficient?
Anyway I ramble on. If you have any tips on this matter I would be very very grateful.
Annette. Just when you plan a BBQ we have to eat indoors. Sod's Law.
Hi Roseanne.
I'm afraid it does sound as if the valves are not airtight. I had a similar problem because the wood (ply) was not very smooth..a bit grainy. I overcame this problem by glueing a very smooth thin piece of ply on the inside to improve the surface on which the leather sits. What wood did you use for the bellows? I am not sure of the construction on the 20 note but I'm sure it's similar to mine.
Now...take the reservoir off the bellows. Cover the valves to the reservoir (tape the holes over)..if you then squeeze the bellows you can detect any air escaping back through the inlet valve. This is the most likely cause. If these leathers are not seating properly, I'm afraid you may have to take them apart and produce this smooth flat "seat".
I know it sounds drastic....but don't give up.
It is unlikely to be the spill valve...but a very good way to check for leaks is with a long piece of tube..one end held to your ear and the other moved along all seams, joins and around valves.
If you need more help come back to me and I'll put a sketch up on the blog.
Cheers.....Bernard
Roseanne...I notice you said...with the spring on top...does this mean you are testing it with the spring?
Did you not test with just weights on top of the reservoir?...Is the spring strong enough for more pressure?....Make another spring and put the two on....You see there are lots of possibilities. Another thought I had was...was did you put the valve leather...rough side down? Sorry, I expect you did.
Cheers..........Bernard
Hi Roseanne,
I've just been talking to John Smith about your bellows problem.
He asked me to give you his mail address and suggests that you e-mail him. You can find him at
john.smith6607@ntlworld.com
Give him a try, he'll help you out.
Cheers.....Bernard
Hi Roseanne,
There are lots of people willing to help. Derek in Australia has just e-mailed the following:-
"Hi Bernard,
If "Roseanne" on your tracker-bar blog would like to get in touch with me "Email" I can send her a two part DVD on how I built the J.S. busker, this would really help her.
Regards Derek"
Mail djdeane2@bigpond.com
Wow this is all really helpful. I've taken the bellows apart and I'm modifying the valves. I'm putting card under them to give them a smooth surface. Also I'm making sure that the valve doesn't get caught under the reservoir (again). I'll let you know what happens when I put them back together. Its good to know I've got lots of people to help me out!
Cheers
Organ Grinders are a very friendly group. Always pleased to help out.
You see, we have all built our own organs, sometimes TWO and have been through all these times of "troubles". Just a little "set-back" perhaps.
Cheers..........Bernard
Well I took them to bits. I replaced all the valves with new ones. I made the new valves in a way which john smith says is better. I cut the holes in a line and covered them in a strip of black out material as he said this was more reliable. I remade the bellow leather.
And still only about 5-7 seconds with sugar on top. I'm at a loss...
Of course I have to have the organ finished by 24th april so time is of the essence!
Hi kippers
I hope this thing works
i guess you are wondering who reservoir is here is a clue
australia!!
...and still only about 5-7 seconds with sugar on top.
That does not sound a bad time to me. I'm sure mine were about the same. You see they will never be completely airtight, I'm sure the cloth is not 100%. I don't know know how long John was suggesting it should be.
You must remember that you are not going to blow any more than 4 or 5 of the pipes at the same time and most of the time only 1 or 2. Also there are gaps between notes where the air supply can recover quite quickly. If you are in a hurry to finish I should go with what you have and maybe rework them at some future date. I had no idea that you were working against the 'clock'.
Good luck.
Cheers....Bernard
PS Did you see my 'carved front' ?
(Post Sunday 5th April)
i used blackout cloth (blockout over here) and had the same problem i got over this by painting shellac on the creases where there is no cardboard stiffeners with a small soft brushthis cured to problem mine now take at least 15sec to deflate
Thanks Derek,
It may be too late now for I understand Roseanne has re-assembled the bellows back up together.
This doesn't supprise me as a sharp fold is bound to harm the cloth slightly.
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