Volunteers in Action

Photo1. Mark provides screws for workers putting on the bottom of the large Swell chest of 6 ranks.

Photo 2. John pulls up part of wood for the ceiling of the Swell box into which the big windchest has been placed.

Photo 3. Fred glues felt on the rackboard that will hold the large pipes up in the front center of the church.

Photo 4. John has just put the rackboard up that will hold up the pipes in the front center of the church.

Photo 5. John, Mo and Ian (top) start putting the facade pipes in.

Photo 6. John and Ian tie the pipes to the rackboard using fishline.

Photo 7. Bob cleans the Vox Humana reeds.

Photo 8. Kathy and Shoko reassemble the Vox Humana pipes after washing while Fred does final chest work.

Photo 9. Fred drills holes in the toeboards for the pipes.

Photo 10. Russ stands by the motors he rebuilt for the Swell box.

Photo 11. Bill does close wiring and soldering on the part of the electronic switchback put in the console.

Photo 12. Bill adjusts the keys on the new MIPC console.

Photo 13. Bill does preliminary tuning on the Diapasons that will go at the front of the church.

Photo 14. Barbara does final shaping of high lead and tin pipes in church narthex just before their installation.

Photo 15. Shoko presses keys at console for preliminary tonal regulation.

Photo 16. View of final product from the center isle; Great and Pedal divisions shown.

Photo 17. The final product - all facade pipes in at the front.

Volunteers Mercer Island Presbyterian Project

A total of 51 volunteers for the Pipe Organ Foundation contributed more than 5,800 hours to make this instrument a reality. Volunteers began to work regularly on this project early in 2003 and they were essentially done by the spring of 2005. Fourteen volunteers contributed more than 100 hours each to this project, six contributed at least 200 hours, and two contributed more than 500 hours each.

Photos in the left sidebar show various volunteers who are making this pipe organ a reality by performing the wide variety of tasks needed to rebuild an instrument. You can click on the photos to see larger images. The volunteers working on this instrument routinely reported a great deal of enjoyment in working on it, significant learning about pipe organs and how to do the various tasks, and a great deal of satisfaction with their work and especially when they heard the instrument play.