I had not seen John Tuttle's article.  It's very informative.  Thank
you, John.

In actuality, the technique I described in my posting about lifting the
vacuum tip adapter slightly, then quickly setting it back down onto the
tracker bar, and doing this several times over each hole, is what you
described as "The Kissing Technique".  I suspect that, if I had used my
Ampico tracker bar pump this way, it may have worked.  As it was, the
only way I was able to free one or more of those intensity valves was
by using the kissing technique with the vacuum cleaner.  Also, using
the vacuum cleaner saves your arms and shoulders from getting tired.

I suspect that the reason the kissing technique works is because it
causes a rapid air turbulence that more easily dislodges the built-up
dust and paper, as opposed to just a steady suction, especially where
there is longer tubing.  This adapter tip is surprisingly airtight
against the tracker bar; it makes an almost perfect seal.  By merely
angling it back and forth to the optimum position, you can get a near
perfect seal.

It's amazing just how much dust, dirt, and paper chad gets sucked into
the player system.  I was playing rolls from a collection that had been
in storage for many years.  The rolls were very dusty.  After every
roll, the drawer tray underneath the roll had a lot of fine dust and
paper particles.  Because the stack and primaries are further back in
my piano, the tubing is lot longer than normal and it took this kissing
technique with the vacuum adapter to finally free up those intensities.
I had been cleaning it after every session, but it wasn't until I used
the vacuum adapter with the rapid up and down movement, that I heard
any improvement.  The Ampico is now playing and expressing beautifully,
as if the pianist were sitting at the piano, with a smoothness and a
legato to the rolls that was not there before.  It makes a huge
difference to have all the intensities working properly.

The MMDigest is a great resource for mechanical music!  This sharing of
information and ideas is most welcome.  Thank you, Jody and Robbie!

John Del Carlo