St. Theresa's, Rosetown, Sask. 1954

Letter from Cyril Robbins

30 The Palisades
Swansea, Toronto, Ont.
Aug. 9th, 1953

Dear Stuart:

Was glad to receive your letter of July 27th and to hear that you are still on the go and busy.  It must be a gratifying experience when crops are good.  It would take a bit of doing to erect a shop the size you say you have to build organs in.  Are you planning on going into business? You enquire about the type of wood best suited for chest work.  By all odds whitewood is the best. It comes from a poplar tree grown in West Virginia where there is no heavy winds or extreme weather  which makes a climate suitable for even growth and texture.  Basswood is not so suitable especially where considerable boring is required as the wind will seep along the grain and cause runs.  However good basswood comes in useful for bungs and places where it could be substituted for the more expensive whitewood.  All lumber must be kiln dried to the moisture content of the locality in which it is to be used.  Some builders are using basswood and sugar pine and running a sealer into the holes.  Shellac, glue or paraffin is a suitable material for this.
As usual I have been busy lately with my regular service work and overhauling a three manual job in Parkdale at the moment.  These jobs always seem to run into more time than you originally anticipate.  We have however been away for the odd week-end on fishing trips etc. and this coming week-end are planning on going to Cochrane about five hundred miles north of here where Harold has set up his dental practise.

You enquire with regard to the Casavant Ventil Chest that I have had for so long in storage at my father's place in Woodstock.  This originally comprised the Swell chest in an organ which we dismantled some years ago and as the Swell chest was in good condition we decided to salvage it together with its own tubular relay and the one from the Great chest, having in mind to cut the Swell chest in half which as I recall has provision for eleven ranks and make two chests for a small organ using the Great relay for the second half.  It would be an easy matter to install magnets in these relays and make them the same as a Casavant electric organ of the ventil type.  They are separated from the chest itself as I recall with bolts.

While I haven't examined it I certainly would think that the whole thing would require re-leathering after all this time.

I consulted again with my brother with regard to it and we agreed to letting you have the whole thing for $350.00 plus cost of crating which I believe could be done for $50.00.  Therefore if you will let me know I will endeavor to get time to crate it up and send it to you.

I would suggest that a cheque for $150.00 to take care of our initial expense on the thing should accompany your order then the balance after it is delivered to Kindersley.

Let me know your re-action to this proposition and I will act accordingly.

You did not mention how you got along with the cyphering problem of your last letter.

Regards

Cyril
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