•The Play-A-Sax is made of pot metal and most have corroded to the point that it is very risky to attempt to separate the three major castings. The pieces are virtually welded together, in most cases, as well as being very brittle due to decomposition of the alloy. I would not recommend attempting t...

•The name on the item I have in my collection is "Q.R.S. PLAYASAX" where playasax is all one word. The roll boxes read: "Q.R.S. PLAYASAX ROLL" This item was made by the Q.R.S DeVry Corp. Chicago. Bill Wineburgh

•A quick answer for Jody to sort the MMD reference section -- On the decal stuck to the unit it says Playasax. On the boxes for the rolls, it also says Playasax. Both are original from Q.R.S. DeVry Corp. Hope this helps to clear thing up. Regards from Ken Vinen, Stratford, Ontario Canada. ...

•I checked the instrument, the box, the rolls, and the roll boxes, only to discover that it was spelled "PLAYASAX", in all caps in all these places. But in e-mail conversation, I usually refrain from typing all caps, so have used "PlayASax" as a compromise, although I recognize that it was (is) misl...

•Robbie commented in MMD 990801: >[ Product names in the MMD Archives try to follow the conventions >[ used in the reference book "Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical >[ Instruments". Author Q. David Bowers and his advisors seem to prefer >[ the name used by the manufacturer in correspondence or adver...

•I have transcribed a number of Playasax rolls and can punch them out at any time. I have the paper, and have found a source for the cores of the rolls. What has delayed the project is obtaining the plastic spool ends for the rolls. A friend of mine is hopefully going to be able to make the spool en...

•I recently bought a Playasax in a local resale shop. I need to take it apart since the section with the reeds has rotated out of position and it does not play at all. I read the suggestion from Spencer Chase in the MMD Archives and will probably try that as a last resort, but I wonder if anyone has...

•If the Playasax is in reasonably good condition it should be an easy task to remove the mouthpiece. Carefully 'jiggle' it whilst pulling upwards gently. You should be able to feel slight movement whilst 'jiggling' and, as you do so, it will slowly lift out of its engagement. It may help to soak the...

•Hello, I never had any luck with Liquid Wrench on pot metal but there is a penetrating oil that might work. I have used it on Play-a-Saxes that did not come apart with reasonable twisting and pulling. It is called Kroil and should be found on the Web. The company tries to sell you a 55-gallon drum ...

•When faced with a disassembly of most anything I'm not really familiar with, I take lots of digital pictures. The old memory at 78 is just not as sharp. Arnold Swenson

•Spencer Chase wrote in 070819 MMDigest: > I never had any luck with Liquid Wrench on pot metal but > there is a penetrating oil that might work. Google on "Kano Labs" and you should find it. This stuff _works!_ I've used it for disassembly of everything from large 19th century machine tools to smal...

•Spencer Chase mentioned "Kroil" for this project. Kroil is one of the best penetrating oils I know, and came to me very highly recommended by a _real_ rocket scientist. Kano Labs produces it, and does do direct sales, as it might be hard to find in your area. It isn't "cheap" and comes two ways, "A...

•I recently purchased a QRS Playasax (reeds and rolls like a Rolmonica, but based on a saxaphone theme) from a dealer, and am beginning to do restoration. Although I'm familiar with Rolmonicas, and therefore the general concepts involved, I have a couple of questions: The gearbox cover (which holds ...

•I have a QRS PlayASax in my collection. It is in quite good condition but some of the reeds have to be cleaned (or renewed). This would be a minor task for me but I have a simple problem: In order to investigate the reeds I have to open the instrument which consists of three parts (tubes) which fit...

•Speaking of the MIDster, is anyone using one to recut Playasax rolls? I would be interested in adapting my scanner and the software to make files for such an operation. I would love to build a MIDster myself but need to get a few dozen other projects out of the way first. Spencer Chase http://nt.mc...

•I have finally obtained spool ends for the 16-note Playasax, Melody Player and PlaRola instruments. I have 26 different rolls currently available and should have another ten rolls available next month. The roll listing can be found on my web site www.music-rolls.com. The Playasax rolls are being re...

•Has anyone had any success in opening up a QRS Playasax for the purpose of adjusting the reeds in the "harmonica" or for just general cleaning? If so I would appreciate some kindly advice/direction. Thanks, Allen Scott

•The Play a Sax can be opened up by removing the ends, and then the harmonica slips out easily. The problem is that the ends often stick to the main body by metallic corrosion. If you are unlucky it will be impossible to get in. I have been lucky with one of mine and was able to correct a few proble...

•I have taken apart a few Play A Sax players and have a few suggestions. First, the pot metal corrodes over time -- some badly, others less so -- which probably depends on storage conditions. The pot metal can also weaken and break. This may be caused by lubricating oils or other contaminants or may...

•Thanks for the response to my request for suggestions about getting into the Playasax for harmonica repair. What I seem to understand from the responses is that the mouth piece and bell are simply held tightly in place by compression. However it appears to me that perhaps a small pin is pressed int...