[ Ref. Luke Myers in 151129 MMDigest ]

  Retrofitting Parts Into Player Pianos

Luke, while I'm sure you can make parts from many pianos fit into
your piano, very few people would ever attempt it when they have the
original parts that are easily refurbished.  I'm afraid you'll find
that retrofitting parts will take more time and cause more headaches
than just doing the rebuild of the parts that you have from the
original piano.  The only cases I have ever heard of where parts from
different makes of pianos were retrofitted were where the original
parts were missing or damaged beyond repair.

There has been many good suggestions in previous messages for you to
rebuild the parts on your own; they are good advice, you would be well
advised to follow them.  The result you will achieve will be far better
than trying to retrofit orphan parts into your piano.  Rebuilding the
exhauster pump and reservoir is an easy job and not all that time
consuming or expensive.

Another thing to look out for is the condition of the larger rubber
vacuum supply hoses, they should be soft and supple and fit snuggly on
their nipples.  If they are hard and brittle it is very likely that you
will have significant vacuum leaks at every joint.

Another resource you may wish to look into is your local AMICA Chapter,
"Heart of America".  You can reach their president, Robbie Tubbs, at
r.tubbs@sbcglobal.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply].

Best of luck with your project, Luke; it's great to see young people
interested in these instruments.  With patience and tackling your
project in small "bite sized" pieces, you will succeed and have a piano
that you will enjoy for many years.

Cheers,
Alan Turner - President, AMICA International
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada