Bellows Leather
By Chuck Walker
At a Musical Box Society Workshop in 1983, the late Alan Pier recommended goat leather for band organ bellows. The sample he passed around was heavy but quite supple. He cited two sources of supply:
Pipecraft
12 Hampden St.
W. Springfield, MA 01089
(PGL heavy)
Kiefer Tanning Co.
240 Front St. S.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Please realize that this info is over 13 years old and these trails may be cold. You could also try these more recent references:
Columbia Organ Leathers
915 Lancaster Ave.
Columbia, PA 17512
800-423-7003
717-684-4428 FAX
The Leather Supply House
412 W. Marion
South Bend, IN 46601
219-234-8990
These folks have fish glue too. Good stuff.
Alan mentioned wetting the leather until moist (not soaking) to give it more pliability in getting it to conform to its final shape. He used a wood block to force the leather onto the joints for better sealing.
There is a section on bellows covering in the book "Barrel Organ" by Arthur Ord-Hume, 1978.
I have not personally done any of this type of work but merely pass on these notes made way back then along with the more recent sources for leather.
Please excuse this music box guy for venturing into the area of pneumatics. Truth be known, I have a strong fondness for the street organs of the Netherlands.
Chuck Walker
Hopewell Junction, NY
cewalker@prodigy.com |
(Message sent Mon 17 Feb 1997, 03:52:20 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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