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Author Topic: Hohner Organette  (Read 24289 times)

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iaenmor

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #60 on: January 30, 2015, 04:06:51 AM »

Thanks for the welcome Nick.  I am glad it seems to have all its parts still attached.  Took it apart the other day and it is not that bad.  The 2 Reed plates need rewaxed and tuned.  Might need new pads on the levers.  They don't leak but the leather is looking awful dry.  One side of first notes and the bass seem to stuck.  I can flick them out but as soon as you try to play the note they stick again.  Need to find someone who can fettle it in SE Texas or there abouts.  Other than that I think I will leave it as much as it is as possible. 
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #61 on: February 10, 2015, 11:04:30 AM »

Just an update. Theo has it now fettling the reeds etc. when it's back I'll put something up on You Tube
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #62 on: March 11, 2015, 03:37:33 PM »

Another update with a slight prob.
Because I had the reed plates remade in the key of D. The tongues are longer than the original and poor Theo has to do some fiddling with the wood blocks that hold the plates. I don't envy him the job, but I know the end result will probably be the best conditioned Organette in Europe and possibly the world. More updates as and when.  (:)
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brazilian.BOX

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #63 on: March 11, 2015, 09:43:17 PM »

in SE Texas or there abouts.
Niiiice place. I've been already.   (:)
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iaenmor

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #64 on: March 12, 2015, 02:20:29 AM »

BB, thanks I have grown fond of living down here.  It is a fairly nice place to be.

Dang Nick you almost scared the living bejeezus out of me with that email.  Thought there was a real serious problem with your Organette.   :Ph  I am sure Theo will get it worked out.  To answer your question mine is setting on the shelf right now.  Found out the reed block is cracked on the end and a couple of reeds stick something awful.  Need to save up a bit of money and then figure out who would be willing to fettle it.  Oh, and it is missing the mouthpiece.  Seems to a very common part to be gone. 
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #65 on: March 12, 2015, 06:55:41 AM »

It seems that most of them are incomplete in one way or another. I've had a thought though, maybe someone could 3D print one for you which I beleive could then be plated.
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iaenmor

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #66 on: March 13, 2015, 04:11:13 AM »

Possible.  Or I can get off my fifth point of contact and make it myself.  Was a sheet metal fabricator for several years so I could do it.  I have found only a few pictures of what one looked like and it was bent up pretty good.  But right now it is not high on the priority list.  Couple of boxes need fettled and a lovely green, wood body Chanson is just screaming for some real reeds put in it first. 
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #67 on: March 13, 2015, 09:21:30 AM »

Go for it Old Bean, would love to see some photo's of the wood Chanson.
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911377brian

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #68 on: March 13, 2015, 11:56:37 AM »

Been there done that......and it plays lovely, but do refer back to the Chanson thread.... ;)
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #69 on: September 14, 2015, 04:29:47 PM »

The Organette is still with Theo, this is just an update. As I posted earlier, because the reed block doesn't fit onto the wooden bits Theo has a real problem. It's my fault having the key changed fron C to D which are much larger reeds and therein lies the problem.
Anyway as we know Theo will win in the end.
  By the way, if anyone finds an Organette  for sale let me know. :P
 
« Last Edit: July 12, 2017, 06:58:25 AM by Nick Collis Bird »
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #70 on: November 16, 2015, 11:55:28 AM »

Have just noticed another ORGANETTE for sale on eBay. No bids as yet.
I'm not in the running though as the seller hasn't even blown it. Plus the fact I already have one and I should be downsizing  :'(
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MandoC

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Re: Hohner Sax
« Reply #71 on: November 18, 2015, 02:12:33 AM »

There is another Hohner instrument I was mildly interested in when I was fooling around with harmonicas called the Hohner Sax.  This was a toy instrument that Hohner made for a while.  It was in the shape of a saxophone and had, I think, harmonica reeds.  To add to the confusion, apparently Hohner also made real saxophones for a while. I have only seen the toy version, occasionally, on ebay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZxaJepSfSg

(this guy really can't play it, as he says)
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Nick Collis Bird

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Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #72 on: October 02, 2016, 04:32:54 PM »

Some of the gang may remember my Organette saga.
I had new reeds made in Czech Republic and because I changed the key fron C to D the wooden reed block is too small. I know a specialist cabinet maker but he was singularly unimpressed for making me one. I think it might have been beyond him!
  Then today Bingo! Well I hope so. A post from Sir John mentioned 3D printing. Now to all you boffins out there, as I have the original block is it possible to have it printed only slightly larger in parts ?
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IanD

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #73 on: October 02, 2016, 04:44:05 PM »

Some of the gang may remember my Organette saga.
I had new reeds made in Czech Republic and because I changed the key fron C to D the wooden reed block is too small. I know a specialist cabinet maker but he was singularly unimpressed for making me one. I think it might have been beyond him!
  Then today Bingo! Well I hope so. A post from Sir John mentioned 3D printing. Now to all you boffins out there, as I have the original block is it possible to have it printed only slightly larger in parts ?

Two problems -- the first is that most low-cost (hundreds of pounds) additive 3D printers can't do anything as long as a reed block, they tend to have smaller close-to-cubical build areas (e.g. 150mm on a side). The second is that the materials used (basically melted plastic of one type or another built up in layers) are neither as strong or rigid as wood, which doesn't make them a good choice for reed blocks. Basically they're a geeky but very expensive way of producing weak plastic widgets which look pretty (if you ignore the rough finish) but aren't strong enough to be useful in most cases.

Commercial 3D printers which use UV lasers to solidify polymer from a solution are better but much more expensive (thousands of pounds), but the results are still less strong and stiff than wood -- which is actually a pretty good material from an engineering point of view.

Then there are the 3D printers which use laser sintering of metal powder to produce properly strong high-quality complex gadgets, but these are way more expensive again (tens of thousands of pounds or more) and are used for things like medical implants or aerospace.
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Mike-T

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #74 on: October 02, 2016, 06:10:18 PM »

P.M. sent Nick.
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #75 on: October 02, 2016, 09:42:24 PM »

Many thanks Ian. I was thinking more of getting a professional to do it rather than buy a machine.
I've Pm'd Mike T.
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IanD

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #76 on: October 02, 2016, 10:47:45 PM »

Many thanks Ian. I was thinking more of getting a professional to do it rather than buy a machine.
I've Pm'd Mike T.
As well as the cost to get the design done (the only cheap way is to do it yourself with one of the free 3D design programs, but this will take you a lot of time), you also need to think about the manufacturing cost which depends on the amount of the material (because this is time in the machine). I looked at getting something similar size to a reed block made and the cheapest quote I could find was around £50 -- and that was for the low-cost additive 3D printers, laser polymerisation was more than 3x this and I guess powder sintering would be more than 10x.
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Malcolm Clapp

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #77 on: October 03, 2016, 12:56:54 AM »

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I would have thought that a set of reeds in D would/could have been made shorter than a set of reeds in C rather than longer?

Just curious....
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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Hohner Organette reed block
« Reply #78 on: April 06, 2017, 03:46:08 PM »

Not sure Malcolm but they are bigger.
 Anyway the continuing saga.
Mike-T came up trumps and has hand crafted the reed blocks and an excellent job he made too.
Roger-T (Jolly Roger accordions) has taken on the very difficult task of putting it back together. It's all very exciting. When it is finished it will probably be the only working Organette left in the world.
I'll keep you all posted.

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Rog

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Re: Hohner Organette
« Reply #79 on: July 11, 2017, 05:24:03 PM »

After a lot of people have done a lot of work on Nick's Organette, he sent me the pieces a few months ago. I have finally got it all to hang together. I had to make various leather seals and mod the reed block a little bit to stop it fouling some of the reeds (and varnish the block to help it survive the moist air). Also had to drill the reed plate to fix it down, to get reasonable air tightness for each reed. Had to do a bit of tuning on the chord plate but left the main plate alone as Harmonikas seem to have got it tuned ok. I was initially worried about air tightness - the button pads were very leaky and didn't sit well on the contour of the tube. Solved this my putting on a second layer of skin, shiny side down (same as a concertina) to get a nice seal on the contour, as the key springs aren't that strong. When it is playing enough air passes through the reed(s) so it now works ok. In fact I rather like it. It has a nice sound.
Here is a video of the finished Organette.
https://youtu.be/jbFFV87suOI
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