Two months ago I was called out to look at a B.A.B. band organ in
Kentucky that been restored about eight years ago.  The valves had
been replaced with the PPCo unit blocks.

When the organ was playing awhile, more and more notes began to stay
on until it sounded as if the tracker bar was uncovered.  What I found
was that, over the eight years, the adhesive (which was by now the
consistency of pancake syrup) that held the sponge facing had soaked
through to the surface.  When the valve hit the top valve plate, it
stayed stuck to it.

My solution was to make new valves with leather facings and replace the
top valve plates.  I think in the future I should just jig up and make
these valve blocks myself.

I am now working on a band organ that has these blocks which are about
15 years old.  These valves have the sponge rubber facing _and_ those
yummy Perflex pouches!  What I find hard to understand is that the
basic wooden part of the valve -- the seat and the top plate -- are
neatly and well made.  With so little effort and expense, these valves
could have been made with proper leather valves and pouches.

Brian Thornton, Short Mountain Music Works
109 North Cannon Street, Woodbury, TN 37190
tel.: 615-563-5814
http://www.mindspring.com/~goatboy/smmw.htm