Stephen Kent Goodman wrote:

> Often times the original rotting machines need full replacement
> of parts that don't exist for them...

A few years ago I restored a 62-key Gavioli trumpet barrel organ.
It came to me as a collection parts in boxes which had been (badly)
stored for a quarter of a century.

It soon became obvious that some of the organ was missing altogether
-- the main chest, push-rods and guide rail.  Certain other parts were
totally unusable, e.g., the keys.  These latter were replicated by
drawing a pattern from a good original, with attention to the tip
shape.  This was sent to a specialist company who laser-cut the keys.

The missing main chest was a problem, however, so much time was spent
making detailed drawings of the parts I had, and determining the size
and shape of the chest.  The pipe risers and slotted top board were
used in laying out the holes.  The barrel pin spacing told me how to
space the pallets within the chest, which was made entirely new using
as much original building technique as possible.  New sliders and
guides were also needed, as were their operating handles.  These would
have been used for tuning purposes in shutting off certain ranks.

The rest of the organ was all-present, if very much dilapidated,
including the pipes.  It was fully restored, with the new parts
incorporated.  This organ now plays in the Hollycombe Steam Collection
at Liphhok, Hampshire, England, in the centre of what is known as
probably the oldest steam-powered carousel in existence.  If the new
parts were not allowed to be incorporated, in the name of originality,
this organ would have been scrapped and a part of our history and
heritage would have been the worse for it.  The organ is still a
Gavioli, and it is still deemed to be around 120 years old.

Incidentally, the organ can still play by barrel, but in daily use
it now utilizes a MIDI system slid in place of the barrel, pushing up
the keys by solenoids.  The resulting music is much more pleasing to
the ear than it was playing on the barrel, and the tunes are
contemporary with the organ.

John Page, U.K.