A melodeon

Cielo and I have regrouped and settled after our stressful adventure last month. It's almost hard to imagine it really happened, but happen it did!

The height of summer continues. The Shasta's, Monarda's, and Hosta's have joined the chorus of light.

... and there have been a good number of visitors this year which makes me happy.

I made a new purchase last week.

This melodeon was built by Mason and Hamlin, a Massachusetts company that still exists and makes pianos today; a friend of mine owns one of their grands.

I came across it at a local consignment shop. A brief inspection left me with enough doubt to leave it at the shop while I had a weekend ponder; I was not ready to pay the asking price. Mouse activity within the instrument was apparent; sawdust and a chewed section of a swell flap were visible. After going back and forth in my mind, I decided to make an offer in consideration of it's condition. So on Tuesday last I went back to the store and presented my offer. It was accepted. Yay!

The instrument is marked number 753, which places it's year of manufacture in 1857. That's almost 100 years before my birth year of 1956.

There is a small plaque inside, placed there by a couple who restored it in 1978. (Coincidentally the year I moved to NYC.)

There are also 2 sets of handwriting. One message indicates it was repaired by [someone whose name I cannot make out] in March of 1873 (March again!). The other message, in quite beautiful script, is very difficult to decipher, it's quite worn. "4th" is clear, "93" is also legible, there is a year (possibly), 1833 or 1855. 1833 would pose quite a mystery because Mason & Hamlin didn't exist yet. The company was founded in 1854. I will continue to study this writing to see if I can figure out exactly what it says.

I have wasted no time tackling the restoration as I would like to have it working by Christmas. Removing the music stand, key rail, and keys illuminates most of the work to be done. There are mouse chewings floating around clogging up the reeds; some reeds do sound, but some do not. They will all need to be pulled and the chaff blown away allowing them to vibrate freely again. I will lay a new piece of felt (or velvet, seeing that's what was used at the time) for the reed bed.

I will also need to remove the keybed from the bellows to access the palettes underneath as a few of them have dislodged. I don't think I will need to rebuild the bellows just now, they seem to be doing quite well.

I consider it a good omen that the current issue of the Reed Organ Society Quarterly which I received in the mail this week is dedicated to Mason & Hamlin! Nice coincidence.