Carpenter Harmonium Speedometer

[GRic]

Hi there
I became the owner of an old Carpenter, aesthetically in good condition but with a great need for restoration of the mechanical parts.I'm taking apart and rebuilding it piece by piece, but I need help.
I miss the speedometer pointer and do not know where to find one. I also want to understand how it was connected because I thought I build one from a old pressure gauge or old clock (a friend of mine is a clocksrepairer ) .
Someone could send me a picture of the dial or tell me where to retrieve a spare? I'd also renew the inscriptions on the studs but some are unreadable. So if any owner can help me I would be very grateful, I did not find much on the web. If you are interested I could post photos with the phases of the work. Sorry about AmericanEnglish inaccurate. greetings from Italy.
Giancarlo

[Doddy.van.Straaten]

E. P Carpenter Organ Company - Loudness Gauge

The organ was manufactured by the Carpenter Organ Company of Brattleboro VT in the U.S.A. and today instruments by E.P. Carpenter & Company (9 May Street, Worcester, Mass) are considered to be some of the finest organs and melodeons built in the 19th Century.

If you look carefully you'll see that in the middle between the organ stops there's a large round gauge. It's actually a very unusual pressure indicator and the more negative air pressure that is generated by the pedalling the further the indicator dial arrow rotates showing the attainable volume loudness levels at that particular moment.

Selva in Germany would have plenty of dial indicators for clocks that you would be able to pick for this item, but the main consideration would be the mechanics of converting the negative air pressure to physical motion of the dial indicator, that would need a response from somebody who owns and understands Carpenter Organs and has this gauge in operable condition or restorers who have that bit of knowledge.

Try this website http://www.pumporganrestorations.com/ and www.selva.de

Good luck with the restoration.

[SubBase]

I'm pretty sure these were operated via a piece of string connected to the equalizer. The needle probably had a pulley on the back. and the string was wound once round it, ending finally at a tension spring mounted to a screw. If they actually used a vacuum gauge I would be extremely shocked. Many handle-pumped organs featured telltales to indicate the condition of the bellows, Carpenter's genius was to make it a dial-type indicator.
Could your clockmaker friend not find a new "hand" for it? The legend from ppp to fff can probably be repainted by hand.
Casey

[GRic]

tanks to all , i'm just uploading a large number of pics about this piece on PICASA .
Back in some hours to explain better the question helping with pics.
See you later

[Michael J]

Is it some sort of aneroid barometer?

[Doddy.van.Straaten]

Is it some sort of aneroid barometer?

With the inscriptions ppp, pp, p, mp, m, mf, f, ff and fff it is highly unlikely as these are nomenclatures for loudness.

The Inscription on the face states that the gauge is an Aero-Dynamic Indicator.

[Michael J]

With the inscriptions ppp, pp, p, mp, m, mf, f, ff and fff it is highly unlikely as these are nomenclatures for loudness.

The Inscription on the face states that the gauge is an Aero-Dynamic Indicator.

It could have pictures of elephants on the dial face, they will not alter how it actually works.

[Doddy.van.Straaten]

It could have pictures of elephants on the dial face, they will not alter how it actually works.

What a stupid thing to say.

[SubBase]

It was a marketing gimmick; it would be cool if it worked, but the organ will be exactly as useful and musical if a new "hand" is carved from a toothpick and glued solidly in place. It makes no real contribution to the instrument other than the novelty of a "tachometer" or "boost gauge" in the center of the stop board. :)
Casey

[GRic]

again about Aero-Dynamic Indicator Patent 14.1880

It was a marketing gimmick; it would be cool if it worked, but the organ will be exactly as useful and musical if a new "hand" is carved from a toothpick and glued solidly in place. It makes no real contribution to the instrument other than the novelty of a "tachometer" or "boost gauge" in the center of the stop board. :)
Casey

I know, but I'm trying to reconstruct philologically the harmonium, using the materials of the time, and I was sorry not to be able to rebuild this part.
I have the front with the dial, they lack the two hands and especially the back ( inside ) mechanism , so i dont recognize the operating arrangements.
By studying remaining parts , i came to the conclusion that the operation was done through a "wire"command .
A needle was connected to the knee left and moved when opening the equalizer, while the other at the "vox humana" draw and probably indicated the presumed speed of rotation of the fan .

I say presumed , because this simple mechanism connected to the linkage could not actually measure the vacuum and the speed, but probably needed to return a guideline, as: "ok boy, soon have to return you back pedaling ".

anyway, what leaves me interdict is the presence of a single return pulley for two different cables.
So I'm trying to get to the bottom of this thing and sooner or later I will find a solution, but I would like (I'm really curious) to know how he had resolved mr. Carpenter.
Attached to the piece is the 'label with the number of the patent, any of you know if it is possible (and how ) to go back to the schedules attached to the patent registered?

looking around, I found online two , but unfortunately are schemes related to the levers of the keyboard.
tnx to all for support
see you later

ps
@SubBase I think you are right , however the dial in the attached picture is actually the mine , and is in good condition.

pps
the numerical scale of the dial goes from zero to forty.
Does anyone know what "measured"? Forty what ??

- - - Updated - - -

Good luck with the restoration.

Tnx , it's a is a arduous job, but very pleasant :->

[Michael J]

Does anyone know what "measured"? Forty what ??

Inches of water? 40" is 1.445 lbs/in^2.
http://www.calculatoredge.com/enggcalc/pressure.htm

[GRic]

Picasa Photoalbum

here is the link to view the photos.

https://plus.google.com/photos/116752135891476153418/albums/6104206298814839441

At the present time the boy was disassembled to the last piece.
Thoroughly cleaned and rebuilt worn parts in wood and some harmonic steel springs.
Restored linkages.
The bellows are still perfect.
I just have to find the right material to replace the membranes in leather that act as a valve.

To be honest I'm not sure it really leather , but ...at that time there was already the leatherette ?

Before reassemble everything i liked to know how faithfully reconstruct the speedometer, but in any case i do not think of being lucky enough to have no reed to tune or replace ... then ... one step at a time.
Thanks to you guys

ps
under the body of the bellows, there is a small cap held by a spring, it looks like a safety valve, i think an escapement for the overpressure is ... right?

- - - Updated - - -

Inches of water? 40" is 1.445 lbs/in^2.
http://www.calculatoredge.com/enggcalc/pressure.htm

I had thought of it too, but it seemed a bit ...cheeky, considering the type of mechanism (which i imagine ) they had made. It was certainly not a pressure gauge.Or...
If there they had managed with a Ramrod wood and a few inches of string, hats off. :o

- - - Updated - - -

Anyway, just by dismantling this instrument you can appreciate the genius and inventiveness of the people who realized.
The engineering for the construction of this instrument in series, with the technology and the resources of the time, is moving.
And thinking about the number of factories and production quantities should not be prohibitively expensive.
I'd like to know if anyone has compared the cost of these harmonium to current times.
See you later
Giancarlo

[SubBase]

The working parts of the indicator have been removed. As I predicted, it was operated by string and pulleys. There is a felt-lined notch at the rear of the top action board that seems to line up with the path of the pulley/string; follow the path and any more pulleys or unexplained bits of wood you encounter on the movable equalizer bellows board.
Valves should be leather (or if a wood base, leather-faced) I have seen a set of pallets covered with rubber cloth, but that doesn't mean that they sealed (the organ had been parted out, and the pallets given to me with a box of other parts)
Casey

[GRic]

some pics here

Hi there ,
here are some photos of detail with those who are my assumptions on the operation:
external scale, long needle : quantity of air remaining
when you pull the right knee swell , it opens the right section ( high octave ) while lift this arm, right behind the turbine .
Need a cable to transmit the motion to the needle on the dial .


Internal scale, short needle : amount of "tremolo" obtained by giving more or less air to the turbine
In fact there is a groove on the arm which opens the valve and a pulley in correspondence.


What does not convince me , that is in correspondence with the arrival of the speedometer , there is a single pulley with difficulties that could handle two cables at the same time without interfering each other.


ah, if I could see one in working condition

[GRic]

sorry , lacked a pic

waiting for your valuable suggestions ...