organ_report.txt ================ See drome2/1723 .... e-mailed to Mary Cottrell Mon 17 Jan 2022 The recent inspection to determine what has gone wrong with the Pipe Organ has given rise to a safety issue that means the instrument should not be used until such time as the underlying cause is resolved. As you probably recall there were three items requiring disassembly and inspection, two aspects involving the blower, the other involving a cipher (continuous sounding of one or more pipes) on as yet indeterminate rank of pipes. So far the risk has been limited by ensuring that the isolating switch in the corridor has been turned off at the end of any use for Sunday Worship etc.. The mitigation for allowing limited use can no longer be relied upon owing to the nature of the observed fault - it would seem that we have an electrical fault in the selection of voices, or a permanent failure within the air supply. A group of people having a range of suitable skills have been approached and they are willing to offer assistance in the disassembly of the organ casing so that the faults may be investigated. An action plan will then be drawn up that details the work and the likely time taken for carrying out these tasks. Since the group are volunteers we will have to be mindful of individual's availability, the nature of the work involves specific skill sets and a degree of on the job training will be needed in order that the correct techniques are followed, traditional materials used so that the repairs will last for many years. Costs are not expected to be high, but sourcing (say) the correct leather and glue is likely to add to the timescale. Assuming all materials are available and the work is within reasonable bounds we may be thinking of having the organ in playing order by the end of this summer. But as you might imagine, this is a best guess, until we have performed a full diagnostic inspection. I have been in communication with John Housego, who has offered his valuable assistance, I shall be particularly interested in finding out the detail concerning activities at Aston Clinton (... I think it was Aston Clinton) and how their group is organised. I feel we have reached the point where we now have a "critical mass" of "helpers and volunteers" and will be able to form our first working party for the disassembly of the casing. Added Thu 03 Mar 2022 ...... sent via Whats App to Lynda and Mary Cottrell Short form The recent inspection to determine what has gone wrong with the Pipe Organ has given rise to a safety issue that means the instrument should not be used until such time as the underlying cause is resolved. Further Information The chapel pipe organ was inspected (under the covid rules in force at Christmas) to determine what had gone wrong with the instrument. The results of the inspection gave rise to a safety issue that means the instrument can not be used until such time as the underlying cause is resolved. It is hoped that it will be possible to disassemble the organ and perform a technical assessment by the summer, if possible, the organ will be re-assembled and necessary repairs could be effected to reduce the fire risk and make the organ safe to use. In the longer term, complete repairs are likely to be both time consuming and involve significant cost. Some elements of the instrument need complete restoration. In the worst case the specialist work would need to be preceded by a large fundraising effort, with no guarantee that traditional rebuilding would be cost effective. One route forward might be a hybrid organ, although current research suggests that this type of upgrade would continue to incur future expenditure. A realistic aim is have some organ functionality by Christmas 2022.