Chickering-Brown advice

[Prof. Euphonious Thump]

Dear List,
   I've been to "Chickering Brown Hell" and back, and
care not to repeat the experience !!!
   As he almost certainly has the ( early ) type with
the glued-on "wypyn" flanges and no adjustment for
lost motion ( except by sanding the jack tops, or
adding paper shims to the underside of  shanks!!! ) I
am particularly empathetic. ( This is the style I
encountered, and it took about 600 hours to rebuild
!!! ) 
   Options in inverse terms of sensibility/danger of
suicidal thoughts:
1) Replace the whole action ( everything above the
keys, at least ) with a  modern one.
2) Replace the hammershanks and hammers with modern
ones, but put a threaded hole in the shank near the
flange, and gimmick-together some sort of upside-down
thumbtack arrangement so the "heads" of the things are
pointing to the tops of the "wypyns" where they
normally touche the old flanges on those flat parts
that sort of look like the deck of a  microascopic
aircraft carrier. This will treplicate the arrangement
Chickering came up with, in the mid-1880's, to replace
the earlier style: which likely bred much enmity from
the techs of the day !!!!!!!     
     One solution might be to take regular modern
drop-screws, and drill tiny holes in them, and glue in
thumbtacks so their top is wider.  
3) Rebuild as is.
      ( For this, you will be sorry. )
Any way you do it; prepare to heat and break loose the
"wypyns" where they're glued to the rail, but put them
back with tiny screws. ( Drill pilot holes before
removal, of course ! )
And remember: the springs on the "wypyns" , or
"intermediate levers" as some like to call them,
should be adjusted so they JUST BARELY DO NOT hold the
things up! Then the "thumbtack" is turned down, to
take up "lost motion". 
( With the hammershanks resting on the rail, as they
should be on these.  ) 
    The "aim" of Chickering, in designing these
things, I believe, was to create an action with the
lightness of "square' actions, but with better
repetition.

 May God have mercy on your soul!

P.S. Use Ecsaine to replace the long strips of
buckskin all over the "Wypyns". 

 Thump
  

--- Will Wickham <wwickham at stny.rr.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
> 
> A friend, who is an organ tech, has an 1870's
> Chickering with the  
> infamous Brown Repetition action. He loves to tinker
> with the action  
> and would be interested in corresponding with
> someone who has worked  
> on/rebuilt one or more of these gems.
> 
> If you have some experience to share and don't mind
> sharing your e- 
> mail address, let me know and I'll forward the
> addresses to him.
> 
> Thanks
> will wickham
> (presently in hiding from Christmas-tuning mania)
> 



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