Hi to all MMD people!  I recently returned from a European tour (only a couple of days after the airplanes resumed flights following America's disaster) and on my tour I made a stop at the National Museum van Speelklok tot Pierement in Utrecht, Netherlands, and was speaking with Dr. Jan-Jaap Haspels once again.

He allowed me to enter the restoration shop to view the Salzburg Stier barrels from the Hohensalzburg fortress.  I understand, from the lady in charge of the restoration work, that the keys will be made new, including the tips which now will be made of steel.  I believe the original tips are of brass and do not last as long.  Also my understanding is the stickers will be made new.

The pictures I send show an all-new fixture for holding the barrel in proper position so the key frame can be located and get proper spacing for the sticker guides.  The shop does not have the complete organ so pictures and dimensions were given them, and so calculations and fixturing are necessary.

There are three barrels: two of them are getting replaced completely because the old originals are not sufficient any more; the original barrels will be used for display.  The new barrels will have all of Mozart's 12 original songs on them whereas the present barrel has only nine.

At the end of the barrel on the left hand side (opposite of the worm and worm wheel) is a brass ring.  On the ring is a larger block which raises all the keys at the same time, giving the roar of the bull.

I was given only one half hour in the shop so I couldn't get all the details, but I felt privileged to get in there for this much info.  Maybe someone else will follow up on it.

I got to Hohensalsburg fortress but didn't have sufficient time to go through it.  Maybe some other time.

Ralph J. Schultz
Fri, 28 Sep 2001 17:19:15 -0500

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