Reuter Organ Visit

Our visit to the Reuter Organ manufacturer was my first real look, or tour, through a full size production plant. It was interesting to see the plant's step-by-step stations and procedures that they go through to build an organ straight from scratch. I specifically thought it was awesome how they cast their own metals. At the church that I used to attend when I lived in Illinois there was a massive organ and I loved to hear it being played, and this trip really made me think about the actual parts and functions of the entire instrument. I liked seeing what actually happened on the inside from the first key press all the way to the sound output through the different tubes at the top. Reuter Organ seems like a pretty successful business since it sells about 10 to 15 organs a year at $450-500,000 each. The manufacturer features a wide variety of materials, including many woods and metals. They try to use poplar because of its tendency to have less knots. The main metals they use are copper, zinc, tin, lead, brass, and steel. I thought it was interesting that some of the piano keys they make are made from cow bone, ivory, and leathers from animals like sheep, lamb, goat, and kangaroo. Leather is a key material for their instruments because there is no substitution for it. They have many different procedures for forming and cutting their materials. I took interest in the cnc router and how they can carve/laser cut out the most complex patterns. They use many different finishing processes for their materials, and I personally think the polish and clear coats looked the most appealing on their materials. After seeing the entire manufacturing plant and all the steps that it takes to fully build an organ, I understand how they can only complete a small amount each year.