Display organ pipes
Shires has the skill to make display pipes to your specification, such as these created for the organ in St Mary-le-Bow, London.
We can design the mouths according to your wishes, whether it be for the upper or lower lips.
On this site you will see some of our display pipes featuring Roman, diamond or bayleaf patterns. Front pipes can be fitted with hooks or they can be provided for later attachment.
We can make removable panels for voicing, and languids on bass notes are always strengthened with a brass bar down to eight foot F. Zinc liners are fitted in the feet of the bass notes to prevent sagging.
We also pay attention to alloys of tin to help strengthen display pipes. In our opinion 70% tin is a weak alloy and prone to collapse. Our preferred alloy is 80% tin.
But we would always discuss alloys with our customer and offer advice if asked. We also make display pipes in other alloys such as spotted metal, and occasionally polished zinc.
​
Creating display pipes that shine like diamonds
A member of our team carefully marks out and then scores the pattern on a display pipe, left and above, in our workshop. The finished pipe, in an intricate diamond design, the result of hours of precise, highly skilled work, may be seen below.
Creating decorative display pipes for Mander Organ Builders
A snapshot of the process of making decorative display organ pipes from scoring the metal – an alloy of 80 per cent tin – to the finished products.
These were made for Mander Organ Builders who are building a two-manual instrument in the church of St Mary's Reed, Hertfordshire.
