The John Smith Busker Organ

Articles about the John Smith Organ

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John Smith Articles
I am always looking for articles for this section. If you have any hints or building tips for the John Smith organ, please email them to me. All contributors receive FREE MUSIC, and all submissions will be credited to you.

Index of Articles	Contributor
Topsy Scale information and options	Melvyn Wright NEW
Miscellaneous Hints and Tips	Various contributors Updated 30th April 2022
There is no need to fit the paper tension rollers!	Melvyn Wright
Hand and motorised rewind	Melvyn Wright
Motorised rewind	Melvyn Wright
Topsy - John Smith's new MIDI organ	John Smith
Model Engineering Exhibition - Prizewinners	Terry Pankhurst
Improved driving wheel, con-rod lubricant	Charles Darley
John Smith Senior 20 organ	John Smith
New John Smith 26-note organ	Melvyn Wright
Detailed photographs of the construction	Ed Gaida
Ideas for animated figures	Peter Henderson
Tracing and curing air leaks	John Smith
Donington, France, and other notes	Peter Henderson
Building the Harmonette conversion	Peter Henderson
Making piccolo pipes	John Smith
Detailed photographs of Rosie and Smokey	Peter Henderson
Alternative construction of reservoir springs	Geoffrey Morriss
Tips on making the tracker bar and crankshaft	Noel Maw
Decoration tips, and a fair organ front	Ken Rawlings
Tips on making pipe stoppers	Gisli Olsen
Alternative construction for music roll hook	Kevin Oliver
Detailed plans for animated figures	Bernard Pilgrim
Making the grooved wheels	Charles Darley
Cost and value of the JS busker organ	Aldo sheLaus
Making a spring bender	Charles Darley
Mitreing the organ pipes	Charles Darley
Building the 26-Note Universal organ	John Pettifer
Alternative construction of tracker bar	Walt Lysack
Cutting paper rolls to width on a lathe	J. F. Billingham
Three bellows instead of two?	John Hutchison
Busker building hints	Bob Meyer
Tricks and tips on making the pipes	Jean Nimal
Enlarging the window	Jean Nimal
Pipe-making tips, stoppers, voicing supply	Tony Goldsworthy
Music punch tips, ornamental knobs	Bernard Pilgrim
Pipe-making machine	Bernard Pilgrim
More busker organ thoughts and pitfalls	Tony Goldsworthy
Busker building hints	Jim Bryan
Improved flap valves	John Smith
Accessible flap valves and air supply modifications	Charles Supplee
Building tips and modifications	Don Johnson
Alternative construction of take-up spool	Charles Supplee
Building tips and techniques	Craig Landrum
Pipes and rewind crank	Daniel Wright
Animated 'storybook' organ front	Daniel Wright
Alternative pipe mounting technique (1)	Charles Supplee
Alternative pipe mounting technique (2)	Peter Howard
Modified Busker pipe layout	John Hunt
Pipe nipples - bending brass tubing	Charles Supplee
Pipe construction and flap valves	Bruce Thompson
First meeting of Amateur Organ Builders Group	John Pettifer
Fax roll slitter	Marcus Foreman
Pressure box locking mechanism	Ken Beardsell
Animated Monkey	Don Johnson
Transfer Pipe	Dave Storer
Building experience, leaks and tips	Kevyn Chambers
Cutting fax rolls to width	Don Johnson
Making organ pipes with free reeds	Gisli Olsen
My 26-note Universal organ	Anthony Ashe
Marking unwanted holes in music	Don Johnson
Mounting pipes in organ	Jim Jensen
Mechanical monkey	Anthony Ashe
Organ lifting and loading aid	Anthony Ashe
Alternative drive construction	Wallace Venable
Computer layout and pattern transfer	Wallace Venable
Alternative tracker bar construction	Wallace Venable
Decoupage Organ Decoration	Wallace Venable
Gear-driven rewind mechanism	Wallace Venable
Hex socket supply spools	Wallace Venable
Bellows linkage and spool fixing	Clifford Smith
Reservoir spill valve	Steve Panuska
Glockenspiel valve and repositioning bleed screws	Steve Panuska
Pressure box catch and music roll paper	Steve Panuska
Box-Cart for a grind organ	Wallace Venable
Wife builds Busker organ in flat	Steve Morrison
Tracker bar air leaks	Bernard Pilgrim
Setting bends in plastic tubing	Daniel Wright
"Monkey Business" - Animated Organ	Daniel Wright
Various hints and tips	Vic Searle
Avoiding problems with stiffer paper	Chris van der Craats
Rewind handle	Bryan Carrington
Common mistakes and how to improve your organ!	John Smith
Connecting rod modifications	Shane Graves
Alternative Friction wheel and lid spring	Dennis Spinks
Music roll hook and take-up spool fixing (update)	Melvyn Wright NEW
Fixing leaks in main wind chest - 26-note organ	Robert N. Hammell
Neater pressure box catch	Melvyn Wright
Novel pipe clamp	Koos Wieman
Alternative crank handle, and pipe tuning	Walt Gerber
Making wheels without a lathe	Mervyn James
Relocating the Busker hand crank	Dwayne Glanton
Improved Music Spool Holder	Melvyn Wright
Making the wheels, and bends in tubing	Jim Bowskill
Electronic hints and tips for Topsy-3	Rose Bunce
Tracker bar construction	John Knight
Organ cart	Daniel Wright
A Busker organ with 2 registers and 29 pipes!	Melvyn Wright
Alternative Tracker Bar Construction	Graham Rankin
Carts for Small Organs	Wallace Venable
Precise Drilling of the Tracker Bar Holes	Matt Gatlin
Alternative Connecting Rods	Andy Wedge
Cutting out Circular Parts on a Bandsaw	Melvyn Wright
Senior Organ Rewind Hex Drive	Ronald Walters
Busker Organ Air Supply (Videos)	Ronald Walters
Building the Senior-20 Organ (Videos)	Ronald Walters
Pipe Stopper Knobs	D.Windmill/D.Johnson
Improving Bellows and Reservoir	Steve Bowman
Using a Tablet to play Organ	Steve Bowman
The John Smith Conductor Project	Ronald Walters
Installing the Animated Conductor figure in the Senior	Ronald Walters
Motorising the John Smith Senior Organ	Ronald Walters
Busker Organ Conversion to MIDI	Steve Bowman
Golf Trolley doubling as an Organ Cart	Jóhann Gunnarsson
The First 2-Register Busker Organ	Chris Richmond
Making Bellows the Easy Way	Melvyn Wright NEW
Leather or Blackout Cloth?	Melvyn Wright NEW
A Digital Manometer	Melvyn Wright
Making a Pipe Voicing Machine	Melvyn Wright
Leak Testing using Smoke Matches	Mike Johnson
Pipe Flaps and LED Lights	John Iles
Making Custom Tube Fittings and Connectors	Melvyn Wright
Easy-Build Double-Acting Bellows	Melvyn Wright NEW
Making Double-Acting Bellows for the John Smith Organs	Melvyn Wright NEW
Making Polyurethane Drive Belts	Melvyn Wright
Modifying Standard Spools for use in the Castlewood Organ	Rob Smith
Building Music Spools for the Busker and Senior	Ronald Walters
Glue Clues - Picking the right glue for the job	Thomas N. Spehar
Adding MIDI to the Busker Organ	Michael Jeffs NEW
Membrane Relief Valve	Calvin McCarthy NEW
Upper Lip Pipe Hint	Calvin McCarthy NEW
Built-Up Crank, Glass Lid and Winding Handle	David Briggs NEW
Organ Pipe Stoppers	Calvin McCarthy NEW
Horizontal Reservoir Spring	Calvin McCarthy NEW
A Simple and Easy-to-Make Spill Valve	Melvyn Wright NEW
Troubleshooting an Organ Wind Supply	Janpsegers NEW
Easy-Build Double-Acting Bellows MK2	Melvyn Wright NEW
Making Pipes with a Conventional Block	Melvyn Wright NEW
Adding Piccolo Pipes to the Busker Organ	Aleksandr Loskutov NEW
Removable Fasteners for Organ Pipes	Aleksandr Loskutov NEW
Alternative Spill Valve	Jeff Coffin NEW

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All articles and photographs used with permission. Some of these articles were first published in the magazine of the British Organ Grinders Association. To subscribe, see the BOGA web site.

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