I have many cracks running through my vacuum chest and in my bellows.
The pump was left in a damp area for a long while.  The chest and
bellows are 3-ply poplar and the middle layer isn't penetrated.  These
cracks are small.  The outside layer on two of the bellows is becoming
a little loose.

Should I fill these with plastic wood, ignore it, or construct new
bellows?  I hope I never have to construct a new vacuum chest!  I've
sealed this three times with shellac coats, then poured some on the
inside, and I've put pneumatic cloth on the ends of the unit.

My gaskets on the pouch board and all the gaskets connecting the
pneumatic decks and all the valve openings here and there (it's a
double valve stack) are constructed of leather and cork in various
places.  Would anybody suggest definite replacement of these?  If so,
what should I do on these long surfaces, use a propane torch and
scrape or sand by hand?

What's the best method for marking and punching new holes in the new
gasket material?

I'm sure somebody reading this is wondering why I haven't tested these
gaskets to see if they still hold -- I find that rather difficult.
I don't know how I'm to test a strip of thin cork on the bench without
making some fancy jigs and using vacuum gauges.

Damon Atchison
Damon66@juno.com