Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches

[chrisemtpa]

I am looking for some suggestions for redoing a chest action on a hillgreen and lane chest. The current action utilizes 2 pneumatic motors per note plus the resiner valve. I would like to convert to electric action of some sortto reduce the weight of the action and complexity of it. The chest contains 4 ranks of pipes and each motor collapes to pull open the pallet under each pipe. Thereare 4 pallets on each primary one pallet for each note in each rank. There are 61 primaries plus additonal 61 smaller pneumatic motors that work to oven valves to exhuast the primaries to outside the chest. </P>


I have already tried peterson supervalves and althought they may work on the smaller valves they will not work on the large ones.</P>


Any ideas would be great</P>


Thanks</P>


Chris</P>

[FrenchHorn8]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches

why re-invent the wheel when you can just restore what's there?  

[Austin766]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches

While there are those who would argue that your best option is just to get rid of the entire organ because Hillgreen is so bad, I'm just going to agree with FrenchHorn8 on this one. It simply isn't worth all the hassle to completely create from scratch something that never was on this instrument. Unless you're going to put these pipes on an entirely new chest with mechanical action, you'll be fine with whats there.

[chrisemtpa]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches



this chest was a tracker chest that was converted at some point in the 50's I believe when they added additonal ranks to the organ via electro pneumatic chests. I don't believe the action was built by Hill Green and Lane.</P>


I want to change the actionto a more simply designed action, the one on this chest is very difficult to releather and work on. </P>

[Guest]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches



I've been working exclusively with pipe organs for 24-2/3rds. years.</p>

Are you doing this as a hobby project OR are you doing this to make or augment a living?</p>

If it's to make a living--run away from it as fast as you can. It's sounds like a job that other people had no interest in tackling. I've walked away from many potential jobs because I reasoned I was being asked or compelled to fix someone else's mess and unless the owners have a bottomless purse (don't know how or why) the project is almost certainly doomed--and you'll be the one who's blamed .</p>

But--if this is a personal project and time is of no importance--a possible way to get around the primary and secondary actions is to install action magnets in such a way that they'll push an exposed valve pin that's connected to the last pneumatic stage of the "key action".  This is a technique I employ on service calls where the leather's given way on one or two "key actions" and it can be quickly restored by the technique described above.</p>

[Guest]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches



Hello Chris, I have a very similar situation and have posted this: http://organforum.com/forums/thread/89712.aspx. </p>

Did you ever get anywhere with your conversion? </p>

I don't know about the last post in your thread, but tubular penuamtic chests are frequently "eletrocuted" here in the UK. </p>

Kind regards, Nicholas.
</p>

[chrisemtpa]

Re: Alternate options to Pneumatic Note Primaries and Pouches



Hi Nicholas, </P>


I acutally have removed the small pneumatics and replaced them with peterson magnets with the a metal arm that lifts the valve to exhaust the large pneumatic that pulls the valves open. It works pretty well except I have some notes that don't always play correctly, which i believe maybe because there are small holes in the large pneumatic.</P>


I know laukauff makes a magnet with a heavy pull that could possibly pull the valve the wires open. Each valve wire on my great chest has 4 valves on it. I was unable to locate anyone who could give me a price on them though, or have one for me test on my setup.</P>


Chris</P>