Some Super Progress

I have been spending so much time in the shop, that I have not spent the time to post updates. I have done a little something almost every day, and the effort is paying off. I have seen progress in 4 key areas:

Pressure Box:  The pressure box is basically complete with the sides attached and a coat of primer.  I have not yet made the lid, but that will happen shortly.

Crank:  The crank is complete!  This is part of the project that I was most worried about because I have never done any metal work.  To be honest, this part could sufficiently be made out of a good hard wood, but I like the toughness that the metal adds.  As I did not have a welder, I was looking for an easy way to attache everything together.  My buddy Ken suggested I use Loctite 609, which is a great product and worked better than I could have imagined.  It is basically a metal glue that has a 3000 psi shear strength.  I tried my best to break it with my hands and could not, so I am sure it will work fine in the organ, as there are no significant forces there.

Pipes:  I built my first pipe today, and it sounds great!  I made the middle C (pictured here) and have started work on the biggest pipe (Low F.)  It is exciting to see progress on the pipes, as I feel the organ is coming to life!

Tracker Bar:  The tracker bar converts the holes in the music roll to actual music in the pipes.   Each of the connectors in the picture below will connect to a single pipe for the appropriate note.  The rest of the tracker bar still needs to be completed, but this is a first step!