Leather

Assembling those wooden wind lines was not my favourite job. It took two people quickly brushing glue in close quarters, or fitting pieces together with one body acting as a human vice. Complications would arise whenever a part was imperfectly square, or an edge slightly uneven. The task would be tedious and frustrating for even the most patient carpenter. In such circumstances there is only room for one person to get frustrated or testy, and that person would not be me. I didn't mind, but Wednesday and Thursday were long and tedious.

Friday was comparatively pleasant. All the seams between wooden sections needed to be sealed. Les left me alone to cut leather straps and apply them with hot glue. He had to leave for an appointment, and didn't have time to adequately demonstrate how this should be done, but I figured it out, and enjoyed having the shop to myself for two hours while CBC Radio played Brahms and Dvorak.

Leather is a significant raw material in construction of a pipe organ, contributing valves, gaskets and seals. It is more forgiving than wood, and although I feel an affinity for both materials, leather responds more naturally. Skin yields to blade, darkens under the damp of glue, and folds supplely around crevices and corners, tidying the appearance of those troublesome wind lines. In the end, Les complimented my neatness, and seemed surprised at the rapidity with which I completed the job. The sealed lines are more handsome.