Where can I find a part (UK)

[Nathan]

The organ I play at my local church (Enfield) has a note stuck down. Fortunately it's not sounding as it's come detached from the tracker in the organ loft. The nut has either deteriorated, or worked itself off and fallen into the organ never to be found again. I looks likes I could fix it myself, but I don't know where to get the part I need. I've added a picture of the part at the keyboard level. It looks like a leather (or cork) nut with a felt washer. Any suggestions. There is a Mander Organ van down the bottom of my road and I've considered putting a note on his window.

[S_L]

Does anyone look after your organ? Who tunes it? Is it tuned? If so, get it in the tuning book and get it seen to on the next visit. If it makes the instrument unplayable then give them a ring, tell them the problem and get them down to look at it - or get them to send you the part!

Failing that, and if the organ isn't regularly looked after, if there is a Mander Organ Van down the road I'd put a note on his window or try and cultivate a conversation with him when you are taking the dog out for a walk. Tell him what you are looking for, explain the situation and he might be able to help you out! My experience has been that organ builders are usually a friendly bunch. It might cost you a pint!!

Do you involve the church authorities? That's a difficult one! One side says they might be helpful and concerned about the instrument in their care, another side says they might see it differently - and the ramifications of that are worrying!!

It's annoying isn't it! I have Bb11 sticking at the moment - and am waiting for a visit!

[James Bradley]

I think they're called buttons (the leather disc/nut). You might find what you're after here: https://www.shop4musicboxes.co.uk/organ-parts--spares-81-c.asp

 

[Choir Man]

I have on one occasion improvised with a piece of cork cut from a wine bottle cork. This did the job until the next tuner visit after which he left me a few spares.

[OwenTurner]

Obvious I’m sure but have you thought about pinching one off the top note or another you might play less? I used to own a spinet with a gradually reducing compass until I got round to sourcing spares. 

[Dafydd y Garreg Wen]

8 hours ago, OwenTurner said:

Obvious I’m sure but have you thought about pinching one off the top note or another you might play less? I used to own a spinet with a gradually reducing compass until I got round to sourcing spares. 

Bangor Cathedral got like that in the years before it was finally rebuilt by David Wells, Compton spares being hard to come by.

[Nathan]

Thank you everyone for your replies and input. I've had a couple of PM's as well. All being well I should have parts I need to fix the organ myself. I'll update the thread with the outcome.
 

On 11/06/2021 at 07:53, S_L said:

Does anyone look after your organ? Who tunes it? Is it tuned? If so, get it in the tuning book and get it seen to on the next visit. If it makes the instrument unplayable then give them a ring, tell them the problem and get them down to look at it - or get them to send you the part!

Failing that, and if the organ isn't regularly looked after, if there is a Mander Organ Van down the road I'd put a note on his window or try and cultivate a conversation with him when you are taking the dog out for a walk. Tell him what you are looking for, explain the situation and he might be able to help you out! My experience has been that organ builders are usually a friendly bunch. It might cost you a pint!!

Do you involve the church authorities? That's a difficult one! One side says they might be helpful and concerned about the instrument in their care, another side says they might see it differently - and the ramifications of that are worrying!!

It's annoying isn't it! I have Bb11 sticking at the moment - and am waiting for a visit!

The organ is maintained regularly,  they have a chap that isn't particularly local (2 1/2 - 3 hour drive). He hadn't long attended to the organ, replaced a pipe and fixed a few notes that sounded with no key being pressed. I wanted to try and avoid getting him back until the next scheduled visit. As this looks straight forward, I figured it wouldn't be to hard to replace the part myself. Also not sure if he approve of someone else (myself) trying to fix it, otherwise I would contact him for the part.

23 hours ago, OwenTurner said:

Obvious I’m sure but have you thought about pinching one off the top note or another you might play less? I used to own a spinet with a gradually reducing compass until I got round to sourcing spares. 

I had considered that. I decided against it. Just incase it doesn't fix it, and for some reason the part works itself off again. Also didn't want to risk dropping the donor part. Lastly, I'd probably need the top not next time I play the organ. It only goes to top F.

[Philip J Wells]

I wonder why people always think of compromising the top note.  We did very well for years without a bottom C sharp!

 

[Contrabombarde]

9 hours ago, Philip J Wells said:

I wonder why people always think of compromising the top note.  We did very well for years without a bottom C sharp!

 

I do wonder how many keys on the typical organ have never once been played except when being tuned - with a mechanical pedal coupler they would at least be played more often as I expect pretty much all pedal notes will get used, but manual notes? I thought some baroque organs didn't have a bottom C#. Can anyone think of any music which requires a manual bottom C#? Or a top B for instance?

 

[Tony Newnham]

The missing low C# is simply because before organs were tuned to equal temperament (or another well tempered temperament) chords based on C#/Db were unusable because of the tuning.  Any piece in Db major could use the low C# (AKA Db) in modern tunings.

Every Blessing

Tony

[Nathan]

Once again thank you to everyone that gave some input. I managed to fix the note today, thanks to the kind generosity of a member on here that send me that parts required.

[Nathan]

for @Robert Bowles picture of Makers plate.

[Nathan]

For @Robert Bowles
This probably wont shed any more light on the origin of this organ. Picture adjusted (and rotated) to bring out the red writing.

[Fiffaro]

On 16/06/2021 at 18:09, Tony Newnham said:

The missing low C# is simply because before organs were tuned to equal temperament (or another well tempered temperament) chords based on C#/Db were unusable because of the tuning.  Any piece in Db major could use the low C# (AKA Db) in modern tunings.

Keep in mind, though, that D Major is a commonly used key in early music and the C# is the bass note of the first inversion of the dominant chord. C# is beautifully in tune with the A in quarter-comma meantone as it is tuned pure to the A. (The E is less happy in the chord because the A - E fifth is narrow and thus beats rather fast and is noticeable when not taken into account by the player in their spacing of chords when playing continuo.)

I believe that short octaves for organs were more about keeping costs down by not included less needed notes rather than because particular notes were unusable in early temperaments. This cost benefit is obvious in organs given the size of the pipes for the low D#, C#, A# and G# omitted in one short octave arrangement. But harpsichords also utilized short octaves where the cost benefit is not as pronounced. It does result in a smaller instrument, so would that have been more of a factor when people's housing was more limited in size?