•Hurray to Robbie and Spencer for being so negative about a video being posted [220221 MMDigest]. I enjoyed the video a lot and I was glad there was not much left out. Okay, there are some slight editing glitches where the screen goes blue. I just forwarded to the next interesting bit. Thank you for...

•I agree that watching a roll get perforated can be like watching grass grow, but I have nothing but respect for those who continue to produce the perforated paper we all rely on. I visited the old QRS factory in the 1980s when the perforators were controlled by Apple II computers. I saw Jeanne Malo...

•I don't think we need to praise every effort made on behalf of mechanical music. Both praise and criticism are appropriate and hopefully the quality of our efforts will improve. Would you listen to a white glue vinyl tube mess of a reproducing piano that barely played and tell the "restorer" what a...

•If watching a perforator is the equivalent to watching grass grow, I guess I like watching grass grow. This video, however, needs a narrative. A few words talking about what we are seeing would help a lot. I'm amazed to watch them in action. And a little less growing grass would help. Eli Shahar - ...

•Does anybody have a photo of the Ampico perforator? Stephen Bentley North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

•Have been researching the MMD Archives for some sort of simple paper punch for home use. Have seen references to the Leabarjan home perforator and a roll punch manufactured by Robert Streicher. I have seen that QRS sells a manual "based on" the Leabarjan home perforator. Not having seen one, I pict...

•Does anyone know where I could buy a good quality hand paper punch? The simple type that paper boys and train conductors used, but it has to have a throat of nearly three inches (7 cm) and should punch a round hole of 1/8" or 3 mm diameter. Getting that long reach (throat) may be tricky. I've thoug...

•Bob Streicher, the chap who provides a lot of wonder Ampico parts, offers just the punch you are looking for. It is a spring loaded affair and comes with a selection of punch tips. Select the tip you want, insert it in the handle, press down on your paper and the punch "fires" and resets for the ne...

•The Player Piano Co. punch was just a General Tools automatic center punch that had a new punch made by Bob Streicher. If you pick up the center punch, I'll be happy to make you a new punch out of drill rod. McMaster Carr should carry them; if not, MSC.com does. The nice thing about making a punch ...

•Hi All, It has been a long time since I last wrote. "There are plans, and then there are plan!" Since I sell a set of plans for building a simple crank organ, I just had to comment. Ed Gaida sent me his set of plans for the John Smith organ and the Midster punch. Ed consigned me to build the electr...

•Wanted to buy: I am looking for an automatic music roll punch as illustrated on page 122 in the 1978-81 catalog of Player Piano Co. [PPCo] of Wichita, Kansas: #239 (0.078" hole for editing Ampico rolls) This is a spring-loaded center punch that has been modified with a special tip. I am also lookin...

•I would like to offer this for sale: MIDSter Punch Machine, computer, power adapter, all books, software, many MIDI files, floppy disks and extra parts. Set up for John Smith Senior 20 rolls but can be programmed for other small organs, 26/31 note rolls. I will ship to lower 48 states in USA only. ...

•Hi Everyone, I recently bought a foot-operated book music punch which I am selling for a very low price of $900. (I am taking a loss here.) You will not find one for a lower price than this. It was built by Terry Haughawout and is an excellent design and construction. Though it is currently set up ...

•I am soon to start rebuilding the stack from a Kranich & Bach 88-note player. The action is unique in it's design and from an engineering standpoint is very interesting even though completely different from any other type of player action. The tracker ducts are tubed to a conventional leather pouch...

•When I read about this modern music box I wondered if it weren't the same as the paper strip music boxes sold in the US at Christmas time under the "Mr. Christmas" name. It's commonly available at WalMart stores, and I picked one up for $30 the day after Christmas last year, when WalMart's Christma...

•For anyone visiting or living in France, the Sankyo 20-note mani- velle, with a full range of paper strips punched or blank, is also sold under the name 'Le Petit Componium' by Anna Joliet at her delightful 'boites a musique' shop at one end of the garden of the Palais Royal in Paris (9 Rue de Beau...

•Hello to all and Happy Holidays! A while back I ran across the name and email address for a gentleman who had a set of plans (and some software, I think) for making a roll punching machine using parts from pin-type printer. If I remember correctly, he was from Great Britain. I have searched the MMD...

•Does anyone have any information on punching machines for 20-note music rolls? Robert Lesko

•I'm in need of a simple software that could convert PunchMIDI files into an elongated image of the whole file that would be scaled like a normal piano roll. PunchMIDI files are generated by "Perforation Editor", a program by Julian Dyer used to create punch matrix files suitable for cutting new pia...

Philip Jamison raised the question, and it was seconded by Dave Clark, as to whether I have plans on publishing the software I wrote to convert MIDI scores to printed perforation templates. Yes, sort of. First, however, a comment on netiquette. Traditionally advertising has tended to be discouraged ...