R E S T O R A T I O N
G A L L E R Y
Difficult Restoration No. 2
 This little Faber "suitcase" organ, dated 1910, was presented for repair in the
condition shown.
The son of its owner said it had done yeoman service
with missionaries in Egypt, only to succumb to a minor household flood somewhere
in Idaho. It sits on a metal framework.
One complication was that all
the parts (frame, handle, hinges and so forth) were originally installed with
split rivets, which had to be laboriously removed and replaced in the course of
restoration. Another complication was that the entire case was made of quarter-
inch three-ply plywood, made with animal glue; hence the severe consequences of
the flood. This very light construction may explain why there are few Faber organs
still around!
Dismantling showed that the upper action was not in bad shape; however,
the reservoir had been re-covered at some point with material much too heavy and
poorly glued on with the help of many small tacks.
The divider board was severely warped.
So it was replaced
along with the exhausters and most of the case.
I elected to use 5-ply Finnish Birch plywood, which is stronger and
more water resistant than the original.
The completed lower action is shown ready to re-install in the case.
Valves were re-faced, reeds were cleaned and tuned, and the keys cleaned up - all routine work.
The case was re-covered with "leatherette" exactly matching the original; only the inside
of the lid, with the original logo was retained.
Here, the completed organ (two sets of reeds) is shown closed up.
It weighs in at 32 pounds. The organ set up is shown here.
It has a surprisingly "gutsy" sound, and its owner is said to be very pleased to have it back in shape.
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