I hope that before I go too far someone out there might be able to
offer some advice.  I'm rebuilding a Style 17 Aeolian Grand player
organ.  This is an early 58-note machine that is vacuum operated.
(Sadly, the great resource provided by Richard Vance on the later
pressure operated Aeolian [Orchestrelle] organs is almost completely
irrelevant to this machine.)

I've just finished recovering the small pneumatics that actuate the
valves (filling the function that pouches would provide in a player
action).  I'm concerned that the recovered pneumatics don't lie flat,
and I don't know how worried I should be about that.  You can see
pictures of my recovering (including the jig I made to hold these
tiny pneumatics) at:
http://www.band-organ.com/aeolian_grand/valve_rebuilding.htm

The finished pneumatics spring open, as if they had a spring inside,
and I'm concerned that they might actuate the valves.  On the other
hand, the new ones might well be sucked flat when vacuum is applied
to the valve chamber.  The originals lay flat, but both the leather
covering the bellows and the pneumatic cloth hinge on the end were
lost in the sands of time.

Do any of you have experience with these pneumatics?  If I have to
re-recover them I'd rather do it before gluing them back to the deck.

Cheers,
Roger Wiegand
Wayland, Massachusetts, USA
http://www.band-organ.com/