Brett Mohr:

> "As I start to remove the old pneumatic cloth from a set of Simplex
> unit pneumatics, I wondered what methods other rebuilders use for this
> task..."

I have begun the lengthy task of rebuilding a Wurlitzer theater organ.
There are many pneumatics to be releathered.  In the case of the small
pneumatics, we dump them into a pail of water and wait for the water to
soften the hot glue.  The water penetrates the leather fairly quickly
and it's relatively easy to peel off the old leather and remove the
remaining glue with a sort of scrub brush.  If you are in a hurry, use
hot water if it is convenient.  I don't know if this technique would
work with rubber cloth since I've never tried it. Maybe it would only
take longer for the water to get into the wood.  At any rate, the water
doesn't seem to bother the wood which dries out quickly and is ready to
go again.  From what I am told, this is standard practice for organ
rebuilders.

The harder problem of removing packing leather (gasket material) that
seals the top and bottom boards of large wind chests has traditionally
been accomplished using hot water and rags draped on the packing
leather.  It is slow and messy at best.  We also tried a steam iron
which worked fairly well, but made a real mess of the steam iron sole
plate. Good old Mildred went out and bought herself a new iron.

The final solution, however, was Mildred's dress steamer machine is far
superior in every way.  It's very fast, and doesn't make a big mess to
clean up.  The old packing leather sort of shrivels up and is quickly
and easily peeled off.  Another pass of the steam wand hits the glue
that remains which we collect first with a putty knife, then old rags.
When things cool down and harden up, we give it a light sanding with a
flat sand block and the wood surface is ready for new packing.  Use
distilled water (rain, a/c condensate) to minimize mineral buildup in
the steam generator.

Jack¶
Great Falls, Virginia