Startup of Spencer Organ Blower

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First startup of 1920's blower for a Kimball pipe organ. It took a bit of work to free up the centrifugal starting mechanism as the unit had sat outside for quite some time in the past.
They are stout beasts, I have seen ones that were submerged in basements and outside vaults brought back to life with minimal work.

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8 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 16

@Art_Thompson 6 лет назад

Wow. I’m amazed at how many folks have viewed this video. The old repulsion start motors are cool, but these old blowers aren’t all that practical. A modern blower of the same capacity is less than 1/4 the physical size of this unit. Not to mention far less noise. I wound up using a new (er) Meidinger on the organ so this just hangs around the shop as a curiosity for visitors. The motor looks huge, but it is only 3/4 HP ! BTW, if anyone wants this, it is available for free. It is 5” WC at about 600 CFM. You would have to pick it up or have it shipped freight from Nenana Alaska. I can strap it on a pallet and fork it into a truck.

@vacexpert2020 4 года назад

Run some ducting around the shop and use it to move air, it'd probably do a good enough job

@realvanman1 2 года назад

I'd imagine that, if there was enough space, the size doesn't matter. And the sound must not have been an issue, or they'd have addressed it 100 years ago. ;)

@Art_Thompson 2 года назад

This noise issue with the Spencer Turbine Blowers was generally addressed by locating the blower in the basement as far away from the listeners as possible. Nowadays, the blowers can be placed right in the organ with modest sound deadening, or even in the open without disturbing the audience. Modern blowers are nearly silent under no load, and the organ will generally drown them out as the demand increases and the blower becomes louder.

@WeegeeFan1Studios Год назад

@@Art_Thompson How do the blowers work on a technical side when it comes to air management? I've been getting myself into playing pipe organs recently and I've only been able to use a 1970s Allen organ (digital obviously) so far, but I'm so curious about these old things that are pipe organs. I love the sound of organs but I'm even more curious as to how there's apparently nothing in a pipe organ that's electric besides the blower and the console electrics (if they have any, but i know older ones didnt even have that)

@Art_Thompson Год назад

@@WeegeeFan1Studios Pipe organs operate on a constant pressure, if the pressure changes even slightly, it will change the pitch. Much in the same way as playing a flute. So, there is a device called a reservoir or regulator that keeps the wind at a continuous pressure regardless of how many or how few pipes are playing. Some organs use a mechanical linkage to activate the valves that play the pipes, and some use electric valves or mechanisms to accomplish this. There are numerous resources online that explain in much greater detail then I could here regarding how this all works. This would be a good place to start: www.pipedreams.org/page/how-a-pipe-organ-works Hope this helps…

@gmc0422 2 года назад

Those older Century Repulsion-start motors are usually 220 volts, single-phase. I don't know how many thousands of those old Century Repulsion-start motors there are on Spencer and other organ blowers all over. I've seen them on organ blowers from the 'teens and early 20s, all the way into the 40s-plus. When I go on an organ service call, I always make it a point to look for the blower to see if it is of the type that needs to be serviced (lubricated), and do so before I even start working on things upstairs.

@Art_Thompson 2 года назад

As far as maintenance goes, even the “modern” Meidinger and Laukhuff Ventus blowers required annual lubrication. Although some technicians would get carried away with the oil, I have usually found them to be neglected in that area. I heard recently that Laukhuff has gone out of business, I wonder what OSI is going to do for blowers going forward.