Hi everyone;

While reconditioning my 88 note player I came across another situation
when I intend to replace the inside valves leathers of the secondary
pneumatics.  Riblitz writes in his book that the shiny side of the valve
should be in contact with the valve seat when the seat is of metal.
Well, the seats in this piano are metal and the existing old valve
leathers were installed with the rough side contacting the seat in both
sides, with the shiny side glued to felt washers, then backed up by
phenolic disks. I had noticed the same situation for the primary outside
valves where the top was directly glued to the domed wooden button and
the lower one again to a felt washer which in turn was glued to the
valve stem button. In either case the shiny side was glued and the
rough side facing the seat. In fact Art writes in his book that in
time a leather facing becomes loose when glued with its shiny side to
the wooden button. In all these valves, the facings were still
securely attached and I believe had withstood he test of time after
about 85 years. So, what do you experts do, shiny side facing the seat
or the "rough" side.  I am using some nice kid leather and want to do
the best possible.  Boy this is slow going this time...  I am getting
to old or too fussy

Albert