I have rebuilt steamboats pumps successfully but they were the type
with the smaller number of valve flaps, not the one with 84.  I have
one with the many flaps that I have wanted to rebuild for years but
have put it off for a few reasons, the main one being that I was
concerned with the flap leather warping so I considered the use of
other materials.

I recently rebuilt a little Ampico pump that has externally accessible
valve plates and I made flap valves out of reinforced diaphragm material
as a test.  It seemed to work well but the pump was too small for my
Duo-Art (should have checked this first)and I never used it.

The steamboat valves are not easy to get to, so I don't want to try
anything that might fail.  Has anyone tried using something other than
leather for the thin flap valves in the steamboat pump, or are there
any other suggestions for a reliable valve in this pump?

Best regards,
Spencer Chase