Replacing cork windchest gaskets

[Conner Blase]

Hi,
I'm preparing to replace the cork that was damaged during the disassembly of my organ.
I know there are tutorials for using hide glue out there but the one problem I anticipate is difficulty cutting the strips evenly. Some of the strips run the full 8ft length of a windchest and I don't know how I would cut those straight. I suppose I could do a few smaller strips end to end but that would create more potential failure points between strips.

Any tips for cutting or working with cork in general?
Thanks!

[majestique]

As long as you cut your strips with a consistent width and reasonably straight you'll be fine. Cork has enough flexibility you'll be able to manipulate it successfully if it isn't cut quite straight.

An alternative would be to cut it a little wider than you need it and carefully trim it to the correct width after the glue dries.

[johnroper100]

Use fish glue instead of hide glue. Just as good and you don’t need to heat it and such. Get it from Columbia Organ Leathers.

I would suggest using packing leather (also available at COL) instead of cork. There are a number of reasons not to use cork including the fact that it breaks down more easily. Packing leather will do a much better job and this is evidenced by the fact that many of the best restorers replace cork with packing leather as needed.

As for cutting, get yourself a big ruler, a rotary (pizza cutter style) knife, and a cutting mat. All can be acquired at Amazon or similar. If the strips are long, use clamps to hold the ruler still. Make sure you hold the cutter straight up and down or else you will get a beveled edge. If you don’t have space to cut an entire strip, it is ok to join smaller strips as long as there are no gaps. Some people avoid gaps by matching edges closely, others bevel and layer the material. It’s up to you.

[myorgan]

Rotary cutter and mats can be found at the local crafting store:
•Hobby Lobby
•JoAnnes
•Michael's

Michael

[rjsilva]

+1 for fish glue and leather.

[Pipeorganbuilder]

columbia Leather will cut the leather strips for you. They are great folks to work with and have reasonable prices. The fish glue they sell works very well and you can use a iron to press it down to give you better results. Franklin also makes a liquid hide glue found at many hardware stores such as Ace.

Michael

[ChristopherS]

OSI/Organ Supply Industries sells rolls of cork for this purpose which is 1/16-inch thick and various widths Section-6-Felt-and-Leather.pdf (organsupply.com) For those who don't have an OSI account, the same thing is available from McMaster-Carr and is self-adhesive https://www.mcmaster.com/products/ru...ickness~0-0625 While leather theoretically will last 50-60 years, if the aforementioned cork product is peel-and-stick application and cheaper, perhaps it doesn't matter that it only will last half as long.

[Larason2]

I also second leather. In reed organs, a number of different materials have been used for gaskets, and they are all inferior to leather. If you're going to do the job, might as well do it right! Fish glue and hide glue both work, I would say it depends on what you have on hand and are comfortable using.

[myorgan]

Is it me, or are there 2 threads on the same topic going around?

Michael

[johnroper100]

There are, and I’ll repeat what I shared with ChristopherS in his other thread.

1. When cork breaks down it will cause a huge mess
2. Peel and stick adhesive is not only short lived but also messier to clean up in the future than fish glue. It’s like how one should never ever use white glue for leathering or any kind of caulk or silicone to seal things.

The best restorers use packing leather for that purpose for the exact reasons. It’s so much better than cork or neoprene. Don’t base your assumptions on what OSI sells, because they sell to such a wide user base and also sell products that used to be in vogue but aren’t anymore. For example, they sell flexible hosing but if you ask most people they will agree that flex hosing is frowned upon.

Also, I’ll just make a note about the phrase “perhaps it doesn’t matter that”

It always matters. If you know that something will last longer, make less of a mess, and is industry standard, don’t go for the thing that is “easier”. I promise you that it will make things harder in the future, if not for you then for the next person that comes along. It’s like the phrase “no one will see it”. I know an organ builder who likes to say “but God will see it” meaning that every little bit of effort put into building or restoring an instrument should be of the highest quality. It’s that effort that separates bad work from good, and amateurs from professionals.

I might sound pedantic but stuff like this actually really matters and sloppy work is what gives home and non-professional builders (like volunteers that work on theater organs) a bad rap. However, if you know this stuff, anyone can do good work.

[myorgan]

I commented in the other thread.

Michael