Posted 2 years ago
AnythingOb…
(1778 items)
One of the always fun aspects of my job is the likelihood that it will (or at least *can*?) often take me to places within other peoples' buildings where few if any other people ever go or have gone -- not infrequently places that even the people that own the building don't really realize even *exist* in the first place. Turns out, folks like me that deal with pipe organs, especially those of us that build and install them places (then and now) just *love* to utilize such obscure locations to stick various parts of things. One specific sort of those things often found hidden from everybody somewhere is the *blower machine" that makes it all function -- they are often (were moreso 50-100 yrs ago) large, heavy, and sorta noisy things, inherently. ALSO, as matter of natural functionality, things that periodically need *oil*.
Today on a service call to a new client, I climbed a rickety ladder up the side wall of a stairwell to a little room immediately under the roof of the building. I'd been told that a now supplanted "old blower" (1930's or so) had been up there, and I wanted to go see...? <giggle> The three things shown here are the 'souvenirs' I brought back down with me. :-) :-) :-)
A 5-quart ESSO No.3 UNIFLO MOTOR OIL tin can, 10 oz GULF CLEANING FLUID tin can with nozzle top, and (bonus) the actual nameplate from the KINETIC [organ] BLOWER which is still sitting up there in all its ~500lb now never to be used again greasy glory. The oil can has been opened with a manual can opener (it looks like) with the top still attached, it is 'as found' complete with attic dirt inside and out. The cleaning fluid can has most of its paper label still there and kinda readable, its top once had a little screw on cap now gone, and it is also 'as found' dirty and seemingly empty. I'll guess it might have last served duty re-purposed as an oil can instead, that'd logically explain both its presence up there and how its label looks more soaked with old oil than cleaning fluid. (that'd probably have evaporated more fully?)
The single sided blower plate is no doubt the oldest of these three, but both of the cans are probably pretty old too...??
