>> I have a Gasparini Dutch street organ beautifully restored by Stephen
>> Kent Goodman of Fresno.  It has some great music but the books are in
>> bad state.  Before I see what I can do with them, I would like some
>> advice from those who have been in the same situation.  My problems
>> are as follows:


First I'd like to say a few words, before I tell you on what to do with
the problems on these books.

If they are generally in a very bad state I advise -- as strange as this
may sound to you -- to either have them recut or generally to buy new
books.  Reasons:

If the books are original books (old books dating from around the time
the organ was built) you wouldn't really want to keep playing them
until they are unplayable.

Besides of that, "fixed" books always will give you again troubles down
the line.

Now, if the books are rather "new" but happened to be damaged through
using them in a unserviced keyframe, then here is what you can do to
fix them:


>> 1. Torn joints.  What is the best tape to rejoin them without creating
>> sticky joints?  Should one always tape the inside of a fold ?


Usually books are made by gluing two (very, very long) sheets of
cardboard together and then cutting in equal distance and, in turns,
once the upper sheet, once the lower sheet, to create the folds to be
able to fold it into a book.  As a result, you basically have lots of
short cardboard panels in two-page length glued together in a
chain-like manner.

The proper way of repairing a fold therefore would be to carefully
split the book on both sides to take the ripped sheet out, and glue
back on a non-ripped piece of cardboard-sheet (of same thickness as the
old one) onto both split "half" sheets of the book.  Once it has dried
you will need to recut the holes into the new layer; which is quite
easy as you have the holes still in the "lower" layer of the newly
glued part.

Once this is done (at all parts of the book) re-shellac that part.


>> 2. Sticky pages.  My keyframe will not tolerate three pages going
>> through at the same time; the music either stalls or it tears the book
>> apart.  I suspect that adjacent pages stick due to adhesive migrating
>> out of taped joints.  Is there a solvent to clean this up or will
>> talcum powder do the trick?


Sticky pages usually result from the shellac (!!!)  Sometimes even
older books "stick" after having been exposed to heat (e.g., laying
in the sun).  This usually can be "fixed" by simply "playing" with the
book by hand.

I do this by taking the book and, instead of flipping each page, turn
the book by 90 degrees and -- just like one of those silly springs that
you can have "walking" down the stairs -- "roll" the pages from one
hand to the other and back a couple times.  It looks like if you have
a deck of cards and have them jump from one hand to another.

If that doesn't help, I suggest sanding the page a little bit.  Talcum
is not so advisable as it might go into the keyframe and into the vents
there.


>> 3. Wide pages in a book.  Has anyone tried sanding a page or pages down
>> so they will run through the keyframe easier ?


>> 4. Narrow pages in a book.  These pages will allow the "End of Book"
>> switch to occasionally activate.  Would running tape along the free edge
>> of the book help here ?


So your books have to have the right size?  While that is supposedly
the bast way of having it set up you obviously run into the before
mentioned problems.

In our organs there is almost half a key of "play area" for the book to
move; it is set up in such a way that through adjustment of the pressure
on the tracker-bar the book is given the tendency to run along one side
(what we call the "upper end" of the book).

Now, to solve this for you:

Yes, indeed books have been sanded down before.  Also, if you have
a print shop close to you that makes (reading-) books, they have
a shearing machine to cut a big stack of pages to the same size; it
works for our music books as well.  (The only one time I had that done
they cut it too much, though!)

Caution: Make sure you sand the correct side!  Put the book into the
keyframe and determine which side has too much border!

Narrow books:

You can't really glue anything to the side of the book.  However,
you might be able to have a little knob or switch added to your
keyframe, that you manually can turn off the "end book" function before
playing such a book.  You will have to attend to the organ in such a
case, so that you open the tracker in time.  (Good advice in any case,
as you can monitor situations like triple-folding pages and interfere
to prevent damage.)


>> 5. Torn Holes.  At this time it is a minor problem.  Would re-shellacing
>> the holes help to prevent future problems ?


If the books do not have shellac on them, then you should.  If they are
already treated with shellac, then putting more shellac won't help.

The key to not tearing the "bridges" between holes is to service the
keyframe well: the keys have to move with ease and not hang and rip.
Fixing bridges is a very unpleasant task as you have to cut out even
more cardboard to glue in a whole cross-section.

If you want to play books that have torn holes, then you should make
sure that the torn parts do not rip any further:  cut loose hanging
parts in straight lines; smoothen edges by sanding gently.


>> 6. Missing front or rear pages.  This is a big problem.  I could
>> always tape on blank pages and play what will play.  However, I suspect
>> the real solution is to find a musician/book puncher who would repunch
>> and complete the book.  Does anyone have a recommendation for such
>> a person?


As said, you always can have books recut.  In most scenarios you don't
even have to send in your book, as they already could have a copy of
the same tune laying around.

I would be one of those "persons" that could complete such a book,
at least theoretically, as I don't have a proper book-punch where I am.

But as I already started out: when a book is in such a state, it would
need to be a very special tune to go to such an extent as having it
completed, and not simply recut an existing (complete) copy.  And if
it is _that_  special, then my advice would be to have the book scanned
in and completed at the computer and then punched out.


>> I will appreciate any advice you can give me.
>> Jim Westcott


There probably will be quite a couple replies from perforators that
happily will supply you with new or recut books (to the according
price, of course!)

greetings by(e) InK - Ingmar Krause
Victoria, BC, Canada
Erlangen, BY, Germany