Another 20 key Höffle built
in other words my Corona organ
A good friend gave me a batch of cherry wood. From this I made the fronts of the first two registers
The making of the organ pipes of the Höffle organ is described in a separate chapter: The making of an organ pipe.
Over the years I had already built the necessary organs and therefore appropriated my own method for building the bellows.
Below are a number of photos taken during the construction of the bellows.
The 1mm thick leather comes from an old sofa. I had made a template from plywood, with which I could mark and cut out the bellows folds.
For the reinforcement of the folds I used 1.5mm airplane plywood. I also glued leather strips on the folds.
This prevents the folds from becoming loose through use.
The drilling of the air holes should be done with a förstner drill, because this is done in the following way
perfect holes can be drilled: mark off the points where the holes should be drilled and
pierce these spots with a 3 mm drill. Then drill halfway through the holes on both sides with a Förstner drill. Result: perfect burr-free holes!
First the feeder bellows are made. Instead of iron brackets I have plywood in the middle
let the plate run 6 cm and make a hole in the middle.
The pump stick is then attached to that place.
On the right side I glued a 4 cm wide leather strip as hinge leather with approx. 3 cm overhang.
The hinge leather is glued to the bearing block, folded over and the smooth leather spots become
roughened up with a Dremel, so that a windproof bonding is possible at that point.
Here you can see that good gluing is possible everywhere.
By sealing the relevant holes with adhesive tape, it is possible to check whether the respective feeder bellow is airtight.
Finally, the feeder bellows are mounted on the bottom plate of the reservoir bellow and the whole is tested again for airtightness.
I made the overflow valve simpler than stated in the building description. The vent hole is sealed on the inside of the
magazine bellow by a square sheet of plywood, on which a strip of ragged leather is glued. The leather provides the seal
and also has the hinge function. The valve thus created is held in place with a piece of spring steel wire. Due to the wind pressure in the
bellows, the hole is additionally sealed. Should the bellows reach a maximum height during air filling. then the valve is opened by
a stick of round wood.
On the ground board I used a 2 cm strip of leather as an air barrier for the valve box. This replaces the leather strip, the one on the valve box
sit. Because the box is screwed to the ground board, an airtight seal is obtained here. For the attachment of the valve box I have in
instead of wood screws, extra long screws with impact nuts are used. An indestructible connection. The extensions of the conductors are also available
(air ducts) made of aluminum tubes. This also ensures a better air seal.
I used Allen screws as adjusting screws. These are much easier to use when adjusting the valves.
The crankshaft is made according to the description.
The command box and the winding reel are also made according to the description.
I made the coupling between paper drive and take-up reel simpler. Both on the winding reel shaft and on the large transfer wheel
two pins are made, which interlock. A small spring presses between the transmission wheel and the rear wall, so that a clutch is always present.
Impact nuts are also used to fix the command box to the housing. The side walls for guidance of the paper strip has been made from trespa. This material is
indestructible. In the practice of my first Höffle organ it turned out that the papers
edge can be extremely sharp and can even cut into plastic.
The most critical parts of this barrel organ are the pressure roller and the command block or playing table. These must fit together seamlessly
so that the air can flow optimally through the holes. Both parts are made of brass, so that reliable operation is guaranteed.
On the pictures below you can see how the housing was made. All parts are made from 12 mm birch plywood, primed
set and given a basic colour. How the organ is further finished is of course everyone's own taste. When making my last organs
I have remained faithful to peasant painting and have even ventured to paint two castles. These are Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss
Hohenschwangau, two southern German castles. My goal was to make an organ with a southern German look as a kind of tribute to Walter Höffle.
On the back I have placed a quote from Walter: Wer als Krönung auf seiner selbstgebauten Drehorgel spielt, wird diese Musik und dieses
Ereignis doppelt genießen (Those who play their self-built barrel organ as a crowning achievement will enjoy the music and the event twice).
Before I write a few words about the self-made cart, a few more comments about the bottom of the barrel organ. I provided this one
of a 12 mm thick concrete multiplex plate. This prevents the bass pipes from being bumped during transport and these pipes becoming out of tune. The bass pipes
all have a wooden block with a hole against the side, with which the pipes are attached to the bottom.
Finally, the cart. I made this at my own discretion. It's just a wooden box with a center divider. This allows a total of
8 drawers can be put in, whereby 5 music rolls can be stored in each drawer. So in total 40 roles, more than 5 hours of varied music.br>
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