In Regard to Robert Buckingham's comments about putting gaskets on
stack pneumatics, I offer my own observations.  In general, high
quality player stacks have gaskets.  The gaskets represent an effort
to make individual pneumatics removable.  In the case of Aeolian, the
gaskets are usually made of pouch leather.  Aeolian uses soft wood in
the deck boards.  Thus if the pneumatics were not gasketed, removal
could damage either the deck board or the pneumatic.

Conversely, Ampico used hard maple in the deck boards and much softer
wood in the pneumatics.  Removal damage in Ampicos is limited to just
the pneumatics.  But even Ampico used a "break away" gasket of gauze
type cloth to afford some protection to the pneumatics.

The Aeolian pouch leather gaskets make removal very easy.  The pouch
leather will simply split, leaving some leather on each surface, deck
and pneumatic.  Since the Ampico cloth gauze will not split as leather,
it affords less protection.

Ampico pneumatics can be easily removed with no damage by shock
loading the side of the pneumatic.  The shearing force created by
striking the side of the glued pneumatic board will cause the glue
joint to release.  Using a hardwood block placed alongside the
pneumatic, the block can absorb a light blow from a hammer and yet
evenly transmit the force to the entire pneumatic.

My rule is to replace all gaskets in a form similar to the original.
I have had to undo my work more than once, and I want to do it easily.
Gluing pneumatics with no gasket on Aeolian products almost guarantees
severe deck damage on the next rebuild job.  I cannot remember the
correct name for the cloth I use in Ampicos, but it is the same as used
by book binders.

Bob Taylor