News from our workshop

String stops completed for new Dobson organ in Sydney, Australia

16/4/2021

A rank of the string stops for the Dobson organ in Australia

We have completed the following string stops for our colleagues, Dobson Organ Builders. They will be part of the new four-manual organ for St James' Church, Sydney, Australia.

Viole Octaviante 4' - 2'. C1 37 mm diameter, body section bellied to 40mm dia. Cornet des Violes 3 1/5' and 2 2/3'. Rank 1: tapered, C1 = 25/8.4mm. Rank 2: 19.3mm dia.

Viole d'Orchestre treble.16'-8'. C13= 78mm dia. Body bellied to 82mm. Viole Celeste 8'. F6 = 59mm. Bellied to 63 mm.

Terry Shires says: "All pipes were made from 80 per cent tin. These are some of the smallest scaled strings we have been involved with for many years. The Cornet 3 1/5' tapered rank was quite a challenge!

"My team have done a wonderful job, George Fowler made the 3 1/5 rank, Chris Shires the 2 2/3 Steve Parker, Terry Doyle and Chris Shires made the VDO. The Celeste is by Terry Doyle and Chris made the Octaviante.

"The bellying of the body section was a challenge when it came to rounding the body sections. We had to bend the mandrels slightly to be able to burnish them, which worked well. Proud of my lads."

One of the string stops for the Dobson organ in Australia

a string stop for the Dobson organ in Australia

String stop made for the Dobson organ in Australia

Pipes made for the new Nicholson organ in Radley College

2/3/2021

Chris Shires files an organ pipe

Gamba organ pipes for the new organ in Radley College

It has been pleasure making a selection of pipes for the new organ in Radley College, Oxfordshire, which is being built by our friends at Nicholson & Co.

The three-manual instrument will be sited in the centre of the west gallery within a new oak case. It will have 53 stops, with mechanical action to the keys and electro-pneumatic action to the pedal. Installation is planned for this autumn.

Chris Shires made the bottom 12 notes of the Salicional 8', and the bottom nine notes of the Viol de Gamba, and Terry Doyle made the pedal Principal 8.

Other pipes made in our workshop for this job included a Gemshorn, a Great Mixture IV, Swell Mixture IV and Pedal Mixture II, and an Open Diapason and Fifteenth for the Swell.

A pedal principal organ pipe made by Shires in Leeds

Piping in the new US president? Sadly not, but perhaps another time...

19/1/2021

The organ in St Peter's Capitol Hill, Washington

It was pleasing to read a story in the Yorkshire Post about our potential contribution to the Presidential Inauguration tomorrow in Washington DC.

Readers were told that 'the music that wafts above Washington on Wednesday as the new President takes the oath of office may have a distinctly Yorkshire ring to it.'

This was a reference to the reed pipes we made for a new organ installed by the Noak Organ Company in 2019 in St Peter's Church on Capitol Hill.

After the story appeared on Saturday, we were contacted by radio and TV stations anxious to follow-up on the idea that organ pipes made in Yorkshire would accompany an event on which the eyes of the world would be fixed.

Sadly, we understand that the organ will not be used in the ceremony tomorrow. However, an idea of the variety and richness of its sound may may gained from this recording of the Mass for Easter.

Chris rounds pipe feet with tools that are 100 years old

27/9/2020

Chris Shires demonstrates our method of rounding pipe feet using a block and wooden mandrils in the video, below. The tools he is using – a close up of a block is above – are over 100 years old.

Display organ pipes made from 80 per cent tin – the great cover-up

22/8/2020

A group of organ pipes of 80 per cent tin

Organ pipes with a protective cover

There's a particular beauty to an organ facade displaying pipes of 80 per cent tin. A great deal of delicate work goes into manufacturing them so it is important they retain the brilliance of the factory finish when installed. The picture, right, shows the covering we apply to all front pipes. It protects the metal from marks, yet the pipes can be voiced and handled until they are placed in the instrument.

Boss talks about embossing – and shows a pipe with more than one mouth

5/7/2020

Nowhere are the pipe maker's many skills more richly expressed than in pipes made for decoration, display – or sheer fun.

In these videos, Terry Shires – celebrating 45 years as a pipemaker – talks about the processes involved in making an embossed, dimpled organ pipe, a 'jester' and pipes with more than one mouth.

Template for an embossed organ pipe

An embossed organ pipe made by Terry Shires

Fresh life for damaged pipes from 1880 Forster and Andrews

18/6/2020

Some damaged organ pipes

Damaged flue pipes ready for repair

Damaged organ reed pipes to repair

The reed pipes in for repair

These pipes come from a two-manual Forster and Andrews organ built in 1893 for a church in Scotland and recently installed in a Roman Catholic church in Leeds. They had been damaged and badly repaired over the years and were brought to us for restoration by David Wood of Wood Organ Builders of Huddersfield. George Fowler, who has a remarkable history as a restorer, repaired the flue pipes and Terry Shires, also with wide experience in pipe restoration, gave fresh life to the reeds.

Damaged organ pipes after repair

The flues after repair

Reed organ pipes after repair

The reeds after repair

How we create holes for brass wedges - by a chip off the block

22/4/2020

How we create holes in a reed block to fit brass wedges? The American organist and organ builder Richard Maryman wondered if we had a video to demonstrate the process.

As we like to make all of our pipe-making techniques clear, Terry Shires shows how it is done. The bed of the machine is set to seven degrees to accommodate the angle of the wedges.

Elsewhere on our website, you can see how we cast reed blocks.

A Skinner-style Vox Humana completed for a large organ in New York

2/4/2020

Pipe maker Chris Shires makes a Vox Humana organ stop

A row of completed Vox Humana organ pipes

A detail of a Skinner-style Vox Humana reed organ pipe.

Here is Chris Shires at his workbench making a Vox Humana 8' in the style of the American organ builder Skinner for a large organ in New York.

The Vox Humana – a reed which mimics the human voice – is one of the oldest of the organ stops, dating from at least the late 16th century.

Terry Shires says: "It has been made made to the scales and style of Skinner, with vented cans and the longest boots we have made in a long while!

"I will now fit shallots, take out wedge holes for our customer to fit brass wedges, and then solder blocks to pipes."

Those with a keen eye will notice the interesting construction for tuning. The image, above, of an original Skinner stop, shows the tuning method.

A completed Vox Humana organ pipe.

Mighty mitres for beautifully crafted eight-foot hautbois pipes

10/2/2020

Mitres cut into an organ pipe.

An eight-foot Hautbois pipe mitred by Terry Shires.

Six organ pipes with mitres created in our workshop.

This tricky sort of work would be enough to send most of us round the bend – but it's just one of the skills in regular use in our Leeds workshop. The beautifully crafted eight-foot Hautbois pipes were made by Terry Shires from zinc with spotted metal bells. He says: 'Cutting and soldering mitres is one of my favourite jobs. Preparation and experience helps too!'

Spotted metal facade pipes made by Terry Doyle for church in Washington

16/1/2020

Pipe maker Terry Doyle with the spotted metal facade pipes for Washington.

Pipes ready for their zinc liners.

Spotted metal facade organ pipe under construction

These are spotted metal facade pipes made in our workshops by Terry Doyle for the Ortloff Organ Company in Massachusetts, US.

The pipes are destined for their Opus 2 instrument to be delivered this spring to St Dunstan's Episcopal Church in Shoreline, Washington State.

The pictures also show how zinc liners are fitted in the feet and tin toes soldered in place.

Part of the foot of an organ pipe.

Tin toe about to eb soldered on to pipe.

Facade pipes shine in lovely case of new Rathke organ in Kentucky

31/10/2019

Facade organ pipes by Shires on the new organ in First United Methodist Church, Henderson, Kentucky

The two-manual, 28-stop organ in the First United Methodist Church in Henderson, Kentucky, is nearing completion and Shires was pleased to supply the facade pipes.

The intricate gilded pipe shades, carved by Morgan Faulds Pike, add the crowning touch to this beautiful case.

The instrument has been designed by the American organ builder, Michael Rathke, who spent two years of his early career with Mander Organs in London.

It is catalogued as Opus 10 in the Cincinnati company's expanding output.

It is also pleasing to record that Michael is among our growing number of clients in the United States.

Picture by Nikolai Peek, music director and organist.

A touch of heavy metal as Chris casts reed blocks

11/9/2019

Pipe maker Chris Shires casting metal blocks

Metal blocks cast in our workshop

Chris Shires hand casting reed blocks from molten lead, a centuries-old skill still practised in our workshop.

Positive feedback on reed pipes made for American organ builder, Ortloff

19/7/2019

Trumpet organ stop made for an American customer

Zinc trumpet stop made by Shires for Ortloff Organ Company

Terry Shires with the new trumpet made for Ortloff Organ Builders of America

It was a great pleasure to receive positive feedback on our work from one of our customers in America.

Among the reed pipes we have made for the Ortloff Organ Company of Massachusetts is this 8' Trumpet stop of zinc with spotted metal bells.

It is to be installed in a new organ being built by Ortloff for St Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Shoreline in Washington State.

Jonathan Ortloff kindly wrote on Facebook: 'We are lucky to be able to work with some of the best suppliers in the pipe organ business, including Shires Organ Pipes of Leeds, England.

'They have completed the two reed stops for our Opus 2 in Shoreline WA. The next pipes will be shipped here for racking next week and then to Chris Broome for voicing.'

'The touch of the Master's hand' in George's brilliant repair of damaged pipes

19/5/2019

Damaged organ pipes sent for repair to our workshop in Leeds

Damaged pipes, seemingly beyond repair, arrive in our workshop in Leeds.

Badly damaged organ pipes brought for repair to our workshop.

Work begins on separating the sections.

George Fowler smooths out a part of a damaged organ pipe.

George Fowler's experienced hand smooths the once buckled metal.

The difficult we do at once, the impossible takes a little longer. Or so some may imagine when they see the state of these damaged organ pipes brought to our workshop.

They looked as though an army had marched over them.

But bent, buckled or flattened metal is just another challenge for George Fowler who has been repairing seemingly ruined pipes for more than 50 years.

Within a few days, these sorry looking flutes had been lovingly restored using skill, care and special tools handed down from one craftsman to another.

It was gratifying to receive many kind comments about George's work on our Facebook page. They included these remarks:

'Wow, that's some amazing skill! Well done George.'

'Beautiful work! They look good as new!'

'Absolutely brilliant work!'

'Incredible craftsmanship! Bravo, George!'

'There is something spiritual in the feel for the job, the co-ordination between hand and eye. The touch of the Master’s Hand.'

Damaged pipes repaired by George Fowler.

Repaired and polished, the pipes look as good as new.

Shires Organ Pipes Ltd
Unit 7a -7c, Spence Mills, Mill Lane,
Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS13 3HE.
Phone: 0113 219 0221
Registered No: 05601081.

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We manufacture, repair and restore metal organ pipes to a high standard from our workshop in West Yorkshire, UK. Please contact us to see how our team can assist your organ building or restoration project, no matter how large or small.

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