Regulators finished, pipe cleaning under way
Blacksburg Presbyterian project · July 2026
The wind regulators of the organ are finished and assembled. I replaced all of the old linkages — after 60 years of service they were ready for retirement. This type of regulator relies on a sturdy mechanism that has no play in it. Any bounce in the mechanism translates into wind pressure fluctuations that are noticeable in a speaking pipe.
One of the regulators of the Great Main chest
Releathered plate valve and replaced rod ends
Linkage inside one of the regulators
Restored Pedal Subbass regulator
The cleaning of the metal pipes is well under way and should be finished in the first week of August. I clean the inside of the metal pipes with various brushes, some of them on dowel sticks or telescopic extension rods, and then blow them out with compressed air. It is always surprising how much dust is accumulated inside the pipe bodies and wind ways, particularly in the most-often-used middle octave of the rank. These pipes are from 1960 and have never been cleaned before. The short video shows the amount of dust blown out of each pipe. The pipes on the table are from the Great Spitzflöte 4'.
A pastor from a local church where I cleaned the pipework and organ a few years ago told me that the instrument sounded as if one speaks with a hand in front of the mouth before the cleaning, but now the organ speaks freely.
Blowing the dust out of the Great Spitzflöte 4' pipes with compressed air
Great Principal pipes in the process of cleaning, clean pipes to the left
Cleaned pipes in front
Once the pipes have been dusted I wash them with a degreaser and brightener, and after a final rinse and dry they will be ready for the tonal work. The pipework is largely in good condition and requires minimal repairs, just a few dents that need to be taken out on some of them and the tuning sleeves checked for good fit.
At the church
I went by the church on Thursday last week, and the acoustical work is coming along. The pews had to be removed to get to the ceiling, which is completed. The bare pine tongue and groove boards are now sealed, and the large wall behind the altar had the slats removed, the Tectum panels removed and sheetrock installed. All the improvements will make for a much better acoustical environment for organ, choir and congregational singing.
Renovations of the interior are in progress
Tectum panels behind the altar wall have been removed and sheetrock installed
View of the work on the gallery