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a Log Home in the Hill Country

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Build A Great VPO – Part 3: Amp Repair

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 11, 2023 by JimAugust 11, 2023
photo of the Amplifier, ready for servicing

Just before disassembling the Thomas Transistor organ to create a VPO, I tried turning it on for one last listen. I wanted to sample a few of the basic sounds for later use building a sample set or synthesizer patches. It hadn’t been used for quite some time, though I had no reason to suspect it wouldn’t work. Within a second or two of powering the organ, there was a loud pop, followed by a very loud hum. Time to get it on the bench!

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Posted in Virtual Pipe Organ, Music, Projects, repairs | Tagged amp, amplifier, build, capacitor, DIY, electrolytic, esr, howto, MIDI, organ, pipe, re-cap, recap, theater, thomas, transistor, tube, vacuum, variac, virtual, vpo, wb0mmc

How to Get a PumpSaver for a Water Well

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on May 26, 2021 by JimMay 26, 2021
photo of The PumpSaver as part of the Solar Rainwater System

With summer on the way, and an end to our rainy season approaching, I am reminded of the dry summer last year and concerns about the water table here at the ranch. Fortunately, our water well performed during the last year’s drought, but a number of our neighbors had trouble with their wells. Some troubles were resolved by a visit from the well-service company and a replacement part of two, but at least one well’s water level was low — resulting in low or no water output.

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Posted in Rainwater, repairs, solar | Tagged DIY, equipment, how to, littelfuse, protection, pump, pumpsaver, rainwater, solar, well

Easy Repair of a John Deere X304 Clutch

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on December 26, 2020 by JimDecember 26, 2020
photo of John Deere awn tractor

It’s amazing how time flies. Although it has been about 13 years since I bought the John Deere X304 lawn tractor for the ranch, it seems like yesterday. I still think of it as “the new tractor.” So it’s always a surprise when something needs repair. I use this machine for all kinds of things, from mowing to towing, and recently it developed a screaming sound near the front.

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Posted in repairs | Tagged aerokroil, clutch, DIY, how to, howto, john deere, lawn tractor, mower, Texas, texas hill country, tractor, Warner, x304

How to Pour a Concrete Slab for your Shop

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 1, 2020 by JimAugust 1, 2020
photo of The New Shop with Concrete Floor

The shop here at the ranch was built in 2000. I got lots of work done there, but by 2011, two things were clear: the wooden exterior doors were in dire need of replacement and it would be nice to have a covered outdoor space to keep sawdust out of the shop. I installed new pre-hung metal doors and with the help of a neighbor, added a 20-foot extension that year — complete with a metal roof. There just wasn’t a concrete slab.

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Posted in Projects, repairs | Tagged build, concrete, contractor, extension, finishing, Genesis Enterprises, Hopson Builders, pouring, shop, wb0mmc, woodworking

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Refinement: Jammin’ Jacks

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 21, 2017 by JimOctober 21, 2017
photo showing Measuring Key Dip

Every piano is different, and although there are recommended measurements for key dip, blow distance, hammer height, etc., changes are sometimes needed to suit a specific action. At this point, Danny Boone’s Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone suggested fully regulating … Continue reading →

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, grand piano touch, hammer, how to, howto, jack, jack screw, let-off, Mollberg, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, repetition lever, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, wippen

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Early Impressions

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on October 20, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo of The Weber and Baldwin Pianos Nested

With casters installed and a rudimentary understanding of action adjustments, I was able to tinker. Hammer alignment went quickly, and as predicted, the sotto voce pedal now worked properly. Since the rockers were not snugged into their final position, they tended to drift, so I touched up the hammer line and let-off, and put the action back into the piano. It was time to play!

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged 1893, 1927, action, action rebuild, Albert Weber, Baldwin Model C, Bernerd, blanco texas, carved victorian case, DIY, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, piano, restoration, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, weber piano company

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Baby Needs New Shoes! (Err, Casters)

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 17, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo of the Leg reinstalled with caster

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, the Weber had been without casters for about 20 years. After we moved to our log home, I was eager to make it more playable, but there was a distinct rattling!

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, Bernerd, blanco texas, brass, carved victorian case, caster, DIY, flange, hammer alignment, how to, howto, Mollberg, piano, restoration, shank, sotto voce, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – RTFM

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 5, 2017 by JimOctober 20, 2017
photo showing how to adjust repetition level spring tension

At the beginning of this project, my piano technician friend Jack recommended I read Regulating Grand Piano Touch and Tone by Danny L. Boone. It breaks the process down into 56 steps from reshaping the hammers to adjusting the pedals. I spent some time with it, but dove into the process with Bernard’s and Celeste’s help without really reading it all.

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Posted in Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, danny l boone, DIY, flange, getting things done, grand hammer butt spacer, grand piano touch, gtd, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, piano, regulating, regulating grand piano touch and tone, regulation, restoration, rtfm, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – The Circle of Refinement

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on September 1, 2017 by JimSeptember 5, 2017
photo of piano strings and hammers

After the much-needed boost of demonstrating the Weber with rebuilt action at our piano gathering, I was eager to continue. Time to align the hammers so they centered on the strings and shifted correctly when the soto voce pedal (or “soft” pedal, on the left) was pressed.

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Posted in Central Texas, maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action, action rebuild, back check, back check regulator, Bernerd, blanco texas, DIY, flange, grand hammer butt spacer, hammer, how to, howto, jack screw, Mollberg, piano, regulation, restoration, shank, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano

Weber Piano Action Rebuild – Assembly and Adjustments

Roy Creek Ranch Posted on August 27, 2017 by JimSeptember 2, 2017
photo of the Action ready to reinstall in the piano

We were hosting a group of our pianist friends on Saturday, and I hoped to have the action back together and with luck, installed in the piano for a little preliminary “plunking”. Time was short!

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Posted in maker, Music, piano, Projects, repairs, Woodworking | Tagged action rebuild, Bernerd, block plane, DIY, felt bushing, how to, howto, let-off, Mollberg, piano, pin block, punchings, restoration, rocker arm, string height, Texas, texas hill country, weber grand piano, whippens, wippens, wippens cushion

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