I want to thank all the people who wrote in about my request for 3/8"
hard felt to be used on the tips of my Pianola fingers.  I actually
solved the problem after I wrote in, but before the answers appeared.
It is such a strange story that it is worth telling.

I began by searching the Schaff Piano Supply Co. catalogue; in the
section for felt there was nothing that seemed usable.  I contacted
Ronsen Piano Hammer Co., but they said all they used was tapered felt,
and I needed it to be uniformly 3/8" thick.  They said I should call
Bacon Felt Co. in Boston, but these people want a minimum order of
$1,200.00 -- I was looking to spend just a couple of dollars.  Finally,
I called up another company (found in Google), and although they could
not help me, they told me where I could find it.  I quickly got my pen
out to write down the info, and the person said I should contact
Schaff Piano Co.!

I then called Schaff, and asked if they sold felt in the size I wanted.
The secretary had to put her supervisor on, and he told me that they
sold no such product, regardless of what someone else said.  I was
stumped for an hour or two, and then I seemed to remember that in
refinishing, thick felt pads are used for rubbing.  I knew the Schaff
catalog had a section on refinishing supplies, and one minute later
I was looking at hard felt rubbing pads, sold in both 3/8" and 3/4"
thickness.  The pads measured 4" by 6".  These pads are kept in the
"refinishing" section and not the "felt" section.

I suspect that the reason the person at Schaff said they didn't sell
it is because I asked for "sheet felt" and he probably thought I meant
large sheets.  The small pads are just fine for me, since they have to
be cut up into tiny pieces.  On to the next problem...

Randolph Herr