I'm rebuilding a Model 1600 58-note Aeolian player reed organ and
I've just broken one of the wire springs that holds one of the valves
shut that controls a bank of reeds.  These are the springs that are
made with what appears to be a steel wire (ca. 0.050" in diameter)
with offset 90-degree bends at each end that push into holes in the
wood giving a torsional twist to provide the spring action to hold the
pallet closed.

The question is, what kind of wire is this, and where can I get more?
Will a piano wire of the appropriate gauge do the trick, or is there
some more specialized spring wire?

Cheers!
Roger Wiegand
Wayland, Massachusetts, USA
http://www.carouselorgan.com/