An update on the Perforator Project; possibly the last.  I received
some emails responding to my idea of producing a short run of Leabarjan
copies.  (I replied to all, so anyone not hearing from me ran afoul of
a spam filter).  Of these, only two respondents said they wanted to
buy a copy.

The search -- first for an original to copy, and then for a way to
reproduce that -- has been interesting in its own right.  I've made
contact with a lot of mechanical music enthusiasts over the years
concerning Leabarjans and many other piano matters.  Most were
supportive; with a modest number of what one might call "Crazed
Pack-rats" mixed in.  Randy Hammond's posting describes the situation
well, and more politely.  "I could write a book", as the saying goes,
although that probably wouldn't be in demand either.

In the book business there are publishers known as "Vanity Presses",
for the authors who want to see their works in print, and can't find
anybody to give them an advance.  In the pre-computer and E-Book age
this typically meant a minimum press run of something like 500 copies,
and the author usually ended up with a garage full of unsold books.

I've always considered this Leabarjan project to be something along the
same lines, a sort of non-profit personal indulgence with the idea that
I was assisting those who wanted to try arranging rolls the traditional
way.  As anyone who has dealt with machinists can guess, the $2,000
price wouldn't cover engineering costs unless I sold dozens of
perforators.  I had hoped to produce at least six.

I'd still like to do it, and may be nuts enough to proceed in future,
but for now the project is on hold.  Partially because the lack of
responses wasn't encouraging, and partially because one of the email
respondents has informed me of his intention to design and build a
lightweight hand-operated perforator.  I've told him that I will gladly
provide assistance (and even buy one), and let him assume both the
mantle of glory and the fabrication costs.

A public "Thank you" to all who responded or have previously offered
interest and encouragement.

Richard Friedman
Dryden, New York