•Removing old potting material from a transformer -- I have a 10-volt transformer, built by Jefferson Electric circa 1926, that goes with a Welte Philhamonic pipe organ roll changer, and several of the leads were broken off where they entered the transformer housing through little porcelain insulato...

•Okay, so I've been a lurker here for a while... Christmas Day, I and two other guys dragged (literally) an old Gulbransen player piano out of a house that had been sold and was going to be gutted. The piano was probably going to be broken up to be removed, so I got it for the proper price. It's com...

•Happy New Year MMDers! I just went through my first Christmas Holiday with my new turn-of-the-century audio visual experience -- a 1917 Schulz player piano. I had a great time entertaining the family and friends and, as a result, I received numerous gifts of player piano rolls. Some rolls needed re...

•I wrote a program to run a single-hole perforator similar to the MIDdster. I never finished the perforator but I did get pretty far along with the program. For verification of the hole placement file, it prints to a text file. It has been years since I looked at the program and I don't remember wha...

•[ Bob Oppenheim wrote in 160325 MMDigest: > How does one make reliable repairs to hinges or broken out sections, > for example? What materials and techniques are acceptable? As the former owner and operator of an 82-key Wilhelm Bruder Söhne fair organ, I have made hundreds of meters of book music a...

•Bob Oppenheim asked about repairing book music. The COAA (Carousel Organ Association of America - www.COAA.US) has published several articles on the subject which are now online. There is a general discussion of the work in http://www.coaa.us/index_archive/Issues_41_to_50/The%20Repair%20of%20Organ%...

•Bob Oppeheim asked about repairing torn and broken book music. There are several ways to enhance the life of old books. The most common problems are torn or worn bridges between notes caused by key wear. These can be filled in with cut pieces of card board and good glue. I have seem books from Euro...

•This is a common problem in our hobby, and the "super glue" solution is very good, although with small screws I also find the old trick, "glue a toothpick in the hole", also works. I understand Luke's lament about bad screw holes, but I think screwed-on pneumatics are much easier to repair than glu...

•I thank Craig Smith for his post about fixing stripped screw holes. I especially appreciated the tip about dripping some CA glue into them! Additionally, though, if you want to prevent such stripping, it is helpful to put the screws back where they came from (particularly important on Steinway acti...

•I concur with Craig Smith's advice in MMD 16.12.16 regarding the repair of "overhauled" screw threads in wood. I too have used cyanoacrylate (CA) glues to reinforce the remaining threads in the wood. CAs come in several consistencies, and I find the "gel" type easier to handle and a little more pre...

•I get to do this with the clocks I repair, for every repairman seems to mess up the screws that hold the movement into the clock. The trick I've been using is to (1) gloop a bit of cyanoacrylate glue, either gel or liquid, onto a toothpick and swish it around in the afflicted hole, then I (2) remov...

•I have tried most of the methods mentioned, but I have found that using a wedge of leather along with CA glue works best for me. With a toothpick type repair the grain of the wood is the wrong way to grab the screw. John Ross Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada

•I don't know how to say this tactfully but if you are restoring a player piano and not just "making it work," then _please_ use the same type screw as was originally used, particularly if is a rare coin-operated piano or reproducing piano. Dry wall screws are just not correct. First, they were neve...

•I regularly repair stripped screw holes. The preferred method is to cut a plug in the correct grail orientation and insert it into the re-bored screw hole. Alternatively, a small strip or two of leather glued in will compress and form new threads. A toothpick, veneer strip or matchstick will be cho...

•Hoping the wide knowledge base of this group can help me out. Our church organ has a set of 21 Maas chimes, electric action. They are brushed brass finish, with black plastic caps (what the striker hits, actually). Two notes do not ring clear (numbers 18 & 19, D and D#) and I thought the problem wa...

•I read Randy Bergum's article (linked in Robbie's notes) on repairing cracked Deagan chime tubes with great interest. It sounds like a comprehensive solution to this common problem with older chime tubes. http://www.octos.org/ooth/repairs/chimetube/chime_tube_repair.htm I have a 1914 set of Deagan ...

•[ Ref. Ellen E. Thompsen in 170612 MMDigest ] Ellen, I had a to repair a number of 125 style rolls. Many were missing leaders and had been poorly spliced. You are fortunate that the old tape is falling off. It can be removed carefully with a sharp razor blade, patience, and a little acetone. For ta...

•Hello all, I have recently picked up a 27" Regina music box and am looking for a 27" Regina discography and disc repair article: 1. Does anybody know of a discography of 27" Regina discs I could get -- book or on-line? 2. I have an opportunity to pick up some discs for it that need projection strai...

•Greetings all; I am trying to repair a (I believe) a broken note wire on the pedal board of my Hammond Model B-A player organ. All the other notes [work] save for the affected note. I have been told that all I need to do is solder the broken wire. One problem: how do I gain access to the drawbars? ...

•Can anyone help with any details on the 58-note Aeolian Grand Player reed organ? I may have to repair one soon but have zero literature on the mechanism and operation. Is it the same as a player piano or a different principle? Bernt Damm Sydney