Hi all -- While rebuilding my Cable Euphona player, I had some trouble
working with the leather nuts on the 88 pneumatic linkages.  The old
nuts had to be crushed to get off, and many had left some corrosion on
the threads.  I didn't have the same size leather nuts to replace them.
Also, in many cases the felt punchings were worn out.

Instead of searching (or making) exact replacements, I went to the
hardware store.  I picked up the smallest O-rings that they had in the
plumbing department, and got some size #4-40 nylon hex nuts.  These
nuts work great as a replacement.  My fingers were bruised from trying
to work with the leather nuts in those tight spaces, but a 1/4" wrench
worked fine on the nuts.

My only problem was quantity.  After visiting 6 or 7 local hardware
stores, I only had about 35 nylon nuts.  So I went on-line and found
http://www.craftechind.com/  I emailed them for a quote, and was told
12.5 cents each for a quantity of 200 #4-40 nylon nuts, or 10 cents
apiece for a quantity of 350.  More than I needed for _this_ piano,
but for 10 cents a piece...!

The nylon nuts won't promote corrosion like the leather, yet they
are naturally 'self-locking' so they don't loosen and come out of
adjustment.  These are not metal nuts with nylon inserts, but
completely nylon.  They're available in "natural" (off-white) or black.

Next, I'll be looking for a source of cheap O-rings.  They work well as
replacements for the felt.  There are 8 or 10 different materials used
for O-rings, so I'll have to make sure to find the right one for this
use.

Bill Mackin