•I have had an "Air-O-Swiss 1355 Air Washer and Humidifier" for a couple of years now, in my case chiefly as a humidifier to protect my pianos. It blows air through a stack of "special humidifier discs that turn constantly through water. This method removes many impurities (e.g. dust, pollen and par...

•I had the same problem with my Steinway Duo-Art. We were told that the legs were the correct ones for that model, but apparently not for that specific piano -- somehow the originals weren't put back on at some point earlier in its history. Whenever the humidity dropped, as in wintertime, the piano ...

•This subject has come up before. The long, narrow slots are for automatic tracking. When a perforation consisting of small punches passes between the narrow slots, no correction is needed. When a perforation consisting of larger punches uncovers both slots, likewise no correction is needed. However...

•After restoring players for over 50 years, I prefer leather, or plain cork gaskets. I find the cork-rubber mixture gaskets can be a big problem because often the rubber particles (that are mixed in with the cork) harden and will not allow the surfaces to seat properly. In lengthy gaskets, I not onl...

•I would suggest contacting a local T-shirt printer in your area. I did when the company I work for decided to screen print the graphics on control panels for electrical equipment. Not only were they able to determine the size of the screen needed, they also were able to get the ink at a reasonable ...

•Noel Butler asks about roll repair tape. The industry standard bible on pianola repairs refers to the use of a 3M's plastic tape (page 205/206). My advice differs from that in the good book. Paper, as a material, is characterised by having a low elongation (up to about 4 percent maximum) and is hyg...

•The problem today isn't that the music roll paper isn't as good as it was ninety years ago, it's rather the opposite -- most of it's too good. There's a perfectly straightforward paper variety suitable for rolls, basic white "Kraft" paper as used for food wrapping and a million other applications. ...

•To MMD: Enough of us (presently 8) are interested in seeing the two-roll set of "Die Walküre" recut for Duo-Art, that Julian Dyer in the UK is in the process of doing final editing of Spencer Chase's scans prior to cutting them. If you wish to add your name to the list, now would be a good time to ...

•My cents worth for those of us who still play old rolls on reproducing pianos. I think the Duo-Art is the worst offender in 'eating' fragile old rolls, in the grands, as the 'angle' the paper traverses over the tracker is more severe than in drawer or upright spool boxes. I and my friend Phil Colli...

•Free to anyone who is interested in restoring this piano -- a 1917 Cable Recordo B upright, rare pedal/electric. Quarter-sawn oak, finish in good/fair condition, piano appears to be good as well I but haven't examined it in detail. When I bought it at an auction several years ago it would still pla...

•Bob, I enjoyed your report about your new toy. Is it an A or B, and do you know what year it was made? If you don't, post the serial number, and I can date it for you. I have a Marshall & Wendell Ampico B, 1931, 4' 8", light art case. I believe there was only one style by this time. Its music deck ...

•There is a lot of variance of opinions regarding Duo-Art valve tolerance. I checked out all the references I could find and ended up using a minimum setting of .032 inch. This setting worked for me and the zero setting was at 4 inches WG. I kept the pressure low because the piano was in a small roo...

•Perhaps I can shed a little light on the general state of band organs in big amusement parks. As the "band organ guy" at another amusement park in Pennsylvania (not Knoebels), I can tell you the following: - Organs on an outdoor ride are very difficult to keep in tune. Aside from the fact that it c...

•Caution! Barrels tend to split as they age and many are ruined along with the music therein. If the instrument ends up in the desert (similar to where I live) it is a guarantee that the barrels will split because of the lack of moisture in the air. The relative humidity in the Arizona, Nevada, and ...

•Hi All, I think we can only speculate as to why roll manufacturers made the decision not to glue the left roll flange in place. Some of my old rolls have both flanges glued in place. So, it 'was' done sometimes. One logical reason for not gluing the left flange has to do with temperature and humidi...

•Hi All, When all other problems have been eliminated, I have found that the roll speed can be changed (slower or faster) by adjusting the leather nuts on the leaf spring that controls the governor portion [vacuum regulator] of the Tempo mechanism, just like you do during original setup using a test...

•Hi, To repair rolls, I recommend to use acid-free archival mending tape: - Filmoplast P (width 2 cm), or - Lineco mending tissue (width 1/2"). These tapes are made of thin paper, and the adhesive doesn't leak outside the tape. I use Filmoplast P (transparent), easily found in Europe, not the P90, w...

•Good Morning -- I wish to thank the MMDers who gave good advice about my Mason AA tuning problem. The section in question is not the "tenor" but rather "mid-treble", actually notes 50-67. As the majority of tuners have said to me, the problem is not with the pins that are tight, but with the fluctu...

•Greg Graham wrote in 110813 MMDigest: > Put a humidifier in the room, use air conditioning, and/or install a > Dampp-Chaser system under the piano. Player systems don't leave much > room for Dampp-Chasers, so controlling the room environment is usually > the first line of attack. I have three grand...

•Mike Cino asks about two things related to the repair of the Mira music box. The oddly shaped metal contraption over the combs is the mandolin attachment. Glued under the curved bar is a piece of rolled up tissue paper. When the lever pushes the bar forward, the paper touches the top of the comb an...