Aeolian always used thin leather as a gasket of sorts between the
individual note pneumatics and the deck that they are glued to.  I do
not think the leather was exactly the same as pouch leather because of
the expense.  Nowadays, the cost would be really high.

I use a piece of paper as a replacement gasket material.  Ordinary
newsprint or writing paper is too thin, and blotter paper or cardboard
is too thick.  You can find a nice compromise in an art supply store
where there are pads of different papers for sketching, water colors,
and so on.

While I have met people who think that using paper will make the
pneumatic fall off, I have never had that trouble.  Be sure to use hot
glue for gluing the paper to the deck, and for gluing the pneumatic to
the paper.  After the paper is glued to the deck, you have to use an X-
acto-type tool to cut out the circle of paper covering the vacuum
supply hole.

Randolph Herr