29 years german here. I was always fascinated by organs, especially the pipe organ. Right now I wait for my first reed organ and I am happy, that there is so much information online, to restore it. 👍
I've got 2 old organs to restore, though I'm currently busy working on my pair of Hammond spinets, my Baldwin is next on the list for work, due to the time consuming nature they're on a back burner, I'm hoping to get an electronic pipe organ that was hand built by a NASA electrical engineer, it's free, I just have to figure out how to get it to my workshop
Thank you for the interest, care & restoration that you give these kinda forgotten musical treasures! I have an 1886 Estey, with 6 octaves of keys, and 11 stops….. they are beauties!!
Pastor Porath, My father is a retired ELCA Lutheran Pastor (served his internship at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska and was ordained as an ALC Pastor June 19, 1955) who has been restoring reed organs since the late 1950s. I share a passion for the American suction reed organ and have been assisting his restorations since I was 10 years old.
I will be getting a Miller organ from Lebanon. A friend's brother is downsizing and needs to move it along. It is surrounded by a mountain of stuff right now and I haven't had a chance to play it..... anticipation!!!!!!!
Hi all. I have a really beautiful pump organ and I had finally given up on restoring it and was thinking about "repurposing it" until I found this video and your comments. I would be ever so grateful for your direction for instructions to begin "cleaning her up". Thank you!!
I have a mint conditioned, fully restored Chicago Cottage Pump Organ. I play the Lords Prayer on it...is posted on my YT ch...so far have almost 6K views. My husband is a Motorola Systems engineer and he told me I can NOT bring home one more pump organ....saved from the dump...breaks my heart, so for now I've only a handfull (5) in my storage building... BUT..got one in our church too....i want to play that, is easier for me to play that rather than electronic organs I believe the Lord is coming back soon and IF things change the way to have church...those pump organs will come to life again!
Good pump organ video! Pump organs are Very fun to restore and play. You just need a little know-how, and some information from pump organ restoration websites. Very rewarding hobby!
Do you need any more organs to work on. I have one that my parents got in Young Harris, GA in the 1950s. My dad electrified it with a vacuum cleaner. Would really love to find a place for it. Sandi
I greatly admire Norm Porath for his dedication to old pump organs. He is unusually active for an older person. I wish I could contact him because I rescued two wooden bellows boxes from an old church organ. No one in my town has any idea of their value. Norm says that nowadays these gems are just buried in city landfills. People have no respect for old things. Disgraceful!
Best thing to remember is DONT use pliars to pull reeds out! use a reed puller! using pliars can distort or bend the delicate brass frame, all reeds have a notch on them so a reed puller tool can be inserted into the notch to pull them out properly. Also, do not blow air thru reeds with your lips, moisure and sweat causes corrosion
Thomas M. Long III Yes he is an amazing pump organ player and restorer! He is an absolute geek when it comes to tuning! I have four pump organs that I have restored to good playable condition. I have met Rodney at the Conklin reed organ museum.
Well this is great. No how about doing it again and this time tell us how to do it? Or at least tell us what to do if we've just got one? Like i suppose there'd be certain things that should be checked and maybe some places could use some oil, so to speak, that kind of thing? Or links to where that info it?
You are making a lot of demands from a little news piece about a guy’s hobby. You could always UA-cam search for repair/restoration videos;, they’re actually all over the place 🧐
Nice work Norn. I just got my first to fix up. Where do you get your materials for repairs, such as for the bellows? This one has many cracks and is hard as fried chicken skin. Beautiful piece though. Looking forward to restoring it.
There's a special bellows fabric you buy on line, you have to use hide glue to affix it to the bellows frame, Rodney Jantzi has a video on how to do it, I have 2 old reed organs, one from the mid 1890s, the other from the mid 1900s, totally different organs, take lots of pictures of the internals assembled, as there's no restoration manuals for specific organs
I’ll tell you, I work at a recycling plant, and someone brought in an old Estey reed organ on their truck last year. And all of a sudden I just gasped! For all I know, it could’ve been the organ I saw in an old school house about 15 years ago. It was being brought in because the Bellows were totally shot. And it wouldn’t have played again without spending a Jillion bucks to fix it. So a guy who takes old wooden collectibles and retstores them gutted it and turned it into a liquor cabinet. My folks got it for me for my birthday this year and I use it as a shelf in my apartment now. It would’ve been a horrible thing if that old thing had gone to the scrapheap!
Norm glad to see you still active. I have played those old organs and they are horrible when out of shape. I still supply preach as well. Did Nathan tell you Matt is going to marry in Dec.?
29 years german here. I was always fascinated by organs, especially the pipe organ. Right now I wait for my first reed organ and I am happy, that there is so much information online, to restore it. 👍
What a great example of doing what you love and keeping the past alive. I’ve just started my first pump organ restoration. You are my inspiration.
I've got 2 old organs to restore, though I'm currently busy working on my pair of Hammond spinets, my Baldwin is next on the list for work, due to the time consuming nature they're on a back burner, I'm hoping to get an electronic pipe organ that was hand built by a NASA electrical engineer, it's free, I just have to figure out how to get it to my workshop
Thank you for the interest, care & restoration that you give these kinda forgotten musical treasures!
I have an 1886 Estey, with 6 octaves of keys, and 11 stops….. they are beauties!!
Pastor Porath,
My father is a retired ELCA Lutheran Pastor (served his internship at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska and was ordained as an ALC Pastor June 19, 1955) who has been restoring reed organs since the late 1950s. I share a passion for the American suction reed organ and have been assisting his restorations since I was 10 years old.
I am by no means a religious person but I very much enjoy organs. What a sound!
Aw, I hope Norm is still doing this today...
Rodney is doing this
I will be getting a Miller organ from Lebanon. A friend's brother is downsizing and needs to move it along. It is surrounded by a mountain of stuff right now and I haven't had a chance to play it..... anticipation!!!!!!!
Rodney Jantzi is doing this. The sound of this instrument falls in between an Accordion & a Pipe Organ so very special Organ.
Yes I agree it is great fun as well as challenging to restore these lovely old musical instruments.
Hi all. I have a really beautiful pump organ and I had finally given up on restoring it and was thinking about "repurposing it" until I found this video and your comments. I would be ever so grateful for your direction for instructions to begin "cleaning her up". Thank you!!
I work on antique clocks. I can completely relate to this.
I have a mint conditioned, fully restored Chicago Cottage Pump Organ. I play the Lords Prayer on it...is posted on my YT ch...so far have almost 6K views.
My husband is a Motorola Systems engineer and he told me I can NOT bring home one more pump organ....saved from the dump...breaks my heart, so for now I've only a handfull (5) in my storage building... BUT..got one in our church too....i want to play that, is easier for me to play that rather than electronic organs
I believe the Lord is coming back soon and IF things change the way to have church...those pump organs will come to life again!
Good pump organ video! Pump organs are Very fun to restore and play. You just need a little know-how, and some information from pump organ restoration websites. Very rewarding hobby!
You are an inspiration,sir.
Great story!
Do you need any more organs to work on. I have one that my parents got in Young Harris, GA in the 1950s. My dad electrified it with a vacuum cleaner. Would really love to find a place for it. Sandi
I greatly admire Norm Porath for his dedication to old pump organs. He is unusually active for an older person. I wish I could contact him because I rescued two wooden bellows boxes from an old church organ. No one in my town has any idea of their value. Norm says that nowadays these gems are just buried in city landfills. People have no respect for old things. Disgraceful!
Best thing to remember is DONT use pliars to pull reeds out! use a reed puller! using pliars can distort or bend the delicate brass frame, all reeds have a notch on them so a reed puller tool can be inserted into the notch to pull them out properly.
Also, do not blow air thru reeds with your lips, moisure and sweat causes corrosion
There’s this organ man Rodney Jantzi who (I believe) can restores those old instruments. He plays a lot of songs on different kinds.
Thomas M. Long III
Yes he is an amazing pump organ player and restorer! He is an absolute geek when it comes to tuning! I have four pump organs that I have restored to good playable condition.
I have met Rodney at the Conklin reed organ museum.
@@isaacposselt7089 Rodney Jantzi is doing this super fast.
What is price
I have an Estey that came from a church... I seen it in the thrift store and new I had to have it!
❤❤❤❤
Well this is great. No how about doing it again and this time tell us how to do it? Or at least tell us what to do if we've just got one? Like i suppose there'd be certain things that should be checked and maybe some places could use some oil, so to speak, that kind of thing? Or links to where that info it?
You are making a lot of demands from a little news piece about a guy’s hobby. You could always UA-cam search for repair/restoration videos;, they’re actually all over the place 🧐
Awesome
Nice work Norn. I just got my first to fix up. Where do you get your materials for repairs, such as for the bellows? This one has many cracks and is hard as fried chicken skin. Beautiful piece though. Looking forward to restoring it.
There's a special bellows fabric you buy on line, you have to use hide glue to affix it to the bellows frame, Rodney Jantzi has a video on how to do it, I have 2 old reed organs, one from the mid 1890s, the other from the mid 1900s, totally different organs, take lots of pictures of the internals assembled, as there's no restoration manuals for specific organs
Which parts are hard to find...?
I thought oh this guys like 60, then he says he's 81!!!!
I just found one abandoned behind my house.
I’ll tell you, I work at a recycling plant, and someone brought in an old Estey reed organ on their truck last year. And all of a sudden I just gasped! For all I know, it could’ve been the organ I saw in an old school house about 15 years ago. It was being brought in because the Bellows were totally shot. And it wouldn’t have played again without spending a Jillion bucks to fix it. So a guy who takes old wooden collectibles and retstores them gutted it and turned it into a liquor cabinet. My folks got it for me for my birthday this year and I use it as a shelf in my apartment now. It would’ve been a horrible thing if that old thing had gone to the scrapheap!
I replaced the b ellows on mine for about $50.
Norm glad to see you still active. I have played those old organs and they are horrible when out of shape. I still supply preach as well. Did Nathan tell you Matt is going to marry in Dec.?
i like this guy
i need paris sur. can get it from you??? if you hve please late me know.
Wish you lived near me
just found your spirit in resale shop love is power you've just got too pump clean pure firm know say hello you tube video soon
Do you ever sell any of the restored organs?
Are you still working on organs
I am.
Maxwell?
Ah! Don't blow through the reed. It tarnished the brass.
Use an Accordion Tuning table instead
I have a free one for you in Tennessee
god i llove this