Estey 2MP Restoration

Estey Organ Co.

Style T, Action 61, manufactured ca. 1913

Serial Number 392112
ROS #6713 in Reed Organ Society Database

This 2-manual + pedals organ has 16 stops and a concave 30-note pedal board. It can be powered by the treadles (although the exhauster springs are quite large, making this process very tiring), manually by the “hand side blower,” or by the electric blower with it was at some point furnished. The electric blower is not an Estey Orgoblow system, but rather a blower from the Spencer Turbine Company.

This organ had been worked on ca. 2000, and evidence of much older, small repairs was found when working on it. In my hands, it was initially brought to full functionality in 2020. In 2022, some mold had began to grow back, and I performed a more thorough restoration of the action.

This page will document, roughly in order, the process undergone to bring this organ to its present condition. The second of the two “waves” of repairs will be documented after the conclusion of the first.

Transportation

After picking the organ up from a Craigslist listing, it was brought back to the garage.

Estey style T reed organ / pump organ case — The organ case and lower action on a trailer

Upper action, blower, bench, and pedal board in the bed of the truck

parts from an Estey style T reed organ / pump organ — Pedal couplers, vox humana, and misc. case pieces in the back seat

Initial Condition

The work done to this organ in ~2000 included refinishing the case and replacing many of the felts. As such, the case was in excellent shape to begin with. Unfortunately, the organ became a home to a family of mice at some point since then, destroying the bellows, many pallet valves, many felts, and leaving plenty of cleaning to do.

Estey style T reed organ / pump organ pedal board — The concave pedal board

Couplers, sells, vox humana, music stand, and other pieces

The back of the bellow reservoir (the flange is for connecting the electric blower)

Organ bench — The bench, beautifully refinished by a previous owner but very wobbly

Behind some of the swell division swells — a view of some mutes

The exhausters, with the bellows cloth cracking at the folds

First Wave of Repairs – 2020

The first set of repairs in 2020 was focused solely on making the instrument playable. In the “second wave,” things were done far more thoroughly.

Screws and small parts kept in labeled bags

Lower action pt. 1

The lower action was first disassembled, going piece by piece and restoring each to reasonable condition.

The subassembly with linkages and "weighting" for the expression pedal and grand organ pedal — The subassembly with linkages and “weighting” for the expression pedal and grand organ pedal

Cleaning up metal pieces, ensuring corrosion won't destroy new felts — Cleaning up metal pieces, ensuring corrosion won’t destroy new felts

An adjustable clamp used for the "weighted" expression pedal (to keep it in place when the foot is removed) — An adjustable clamp used for the “weighted” expression pedal (to keep it in place when the foot is removed)

Expression pedal weighting system after cleaning and new grease

Disassembly of structures supporting the expression pedal

Pedal linkages before and after cleaning

Mechanism for "hand side blower" cleaned and straps replaced — Mechanism for “hand side blower” cleaned and straps replaced

Lower action pt. 2: Pedal board

Reinstalling pedals, after replacing felts and cleaning/waxing/polishing them

Lower action pt. 3: Bellows

Close-up of the clever exhauster valve tensioning system

Bellows reservoir just after removing the bellows cloth

Original pieces of bellows cloth — with cracks and mouse holes

The mice stored birdseed in here... — The mice stored birdseed in here…

Pieces forming a pressure regulator, installed with the fitting of the electric blower

Inside of reservoir after cleaning and caulking between the sections of the panel to reduce leakage

Preparing the neoprene replacement for the reservoir bellows-cloth

Close-up of the reservoir solution: Gorilla glue and silicone caulk

Replacing exhauster hinges and cutting new pieces

A new exhauster hinge in place — Using a synthetic nylon woven strap and gorilla glue

Lower action pt. 4: Some reassembly

Routing the string for the "wind indicator" — Routing the string for the “wind indicator”

Reassembling the expression pedal, treadles, etc.

Caulking the interface of the flange for the electric blower to ensure a good seal

Cleaned and sealed bottom panel of great windchest, upon which the upper action sits

Pest-resistant check valve after cleaning

Inspecting the wiring before testing the blower

The blower is connected to the organ with dryer vent hose

Upper action pt. 1: Pedal couplers

Upper action pt. 2: Stop action, some disassembly

Upper action pt. 3: Keyboard

Great manual. Tape labels are from a previous owner's work — Great manual. Tape labels are from a previous owner’s work

Cleaning each key & reinstalling on clean frame

Cleaning & reinstalling the swell manual keys

Upper action pt. 4: Upper windchest

The upper action contains two windchests, the upper one serving the swell and pedal divisions of reeds.

Mouse nest... and a complimentary pocket knife! — Mouse nest… and a complimentary pocket knife!

Pedal reeds can be seen beneath where the pallet valves were

Using epoxy to fill in areas chewed away by mice

Fixing mouse-chewed pallet valves with epoxy

About to seal the windchest back up... — About to seal the windchest back up…

Upper action pt. 5

A view of some of the great division reeds from the lower windchest with pallet valves removed

Polished octave coupler camshaft installed, some felts replaced

Swell control mechanism felts being replaced

Upper action reinstalled into the organ with the upper windchest open to address a cipher

Part of the "grand organ" mechanism — Part of the “grand organ” mechanism

Back of the organ with most of the upper action installed

Vox humana with fins that crumble in my hands

Replacing the lambskin valve with chamois

Replacing the fins with a heavy cardstock

Pedal linkages, couplers, rocker arms cleaned & reinstalled

Final assembly

Quick polishing of brass screws (one on the right is not yet polished)

And with that, the organ was in good, playable shape, and put into the ROS database.

However, in 2022, while investigating a cipher and a few mechanical issues, I discovered that mold in the swells and around the reed pan had come back. Thus, it was time to do a more detailed restoration on the organ.

Second Wave of Repairs – 2022

Upper action disassembly

Part of the great reedpan with a mute removed; removing reeds

The great reedpan, removing felts & ready for cleaning

Reedpan and swells

Replacing worn-out and chewed-away lambskin on mutes

Refining how the 2-part mutes seat against each other

Trying to resolve ciphers by gluing small pieces of lambskin to the interface between the mute and reed cells where bits or wood have chipped out

More upper-action work

Gluing/clamping an air duct that goes between the great and swell windchests, as it had many cracks where original glue joints were coming apart

Great division swell mechanism being reinstalled

Buttressing a fabric hinge for the front great swell machanism

Lower action with the octave coupler reinstalled

The piece of the stop action is replaced on the newly-glued air duct that it mounts to

Another piece of the stop action, with some mold growth

After cleaning, replacing felts, and applying a paste wax

Swell reedpan

Swell division reedpan after some initial cleaning

Some felts replaced and the aforementioned stop action component installed

More cleaning, replacing moldy felts and waxing

Buttressing a fabric hinge for the swell division swell

The clean, buttressed swell piece installed

Finalizing octave coupler height adjustments and key buttons

Blower

The blower was having trouble starting, and I had put more oil into the oil wells than it seemed possible for it to require. As it turns out, the body of the motor was filling with oil, which sloshed around each time it was starting. The bushings of the motor had grit inside them that allowed oil to seep through directly into the body of the motor. Additionally, it did not help that the contacts on the centrifugal starting switch were extremely dirty and probably quite resistive.