•http://www.christies.com/features/singing-bird-pistols-en-1422-3.aspx Will Herzog [ At http://www.tickerspy.com/post.php?pi=367892 : [ "A pair of singing-bird pistols made of gold and inlaid with [ gems sold for HK$45.5 million ($5.8 million) at a Christie's [ International sale in Hong Kong yester...

•I am restoring two singing bird boxes and need Zephyr skin of .002 inch thickness. The German supplier recommended here only sells in 2-meter squares which would last me at least three lifetimes. Does anyone have, or know of anyone selling it, in smaller quantity? Ray Bates Newfane, Vermont, USA ht...

•Ray Bates asks about suppliers of zephyr, stating that the German supplier mentioned previously only supplies in 2 metre squares. I suggest he contacts Herzog, who I recommended recently: http://www.lederfachhandel.de/ They sell zephyr in three thicknesses, including the 2 thousandths thickness he ...

•Ray, I'm not sure which German supplier you refer to, but Herzog will supply in pieces about 18 inches by 8 inches (the size varies a little). I had some only a few days ago. Contact Jutta Kiffe who should be able to help. They sell three sizes (size zero is the size I mentioned above, the others a...

•Gentlemen, Yesterday I asked the group for sources of zephir skin. Today I have received so many responses that I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of this membership. I've been meaning to get a copy of the Mayson book, and today I was inspired to obtain one, through Amazon: $400.00 through "the book...

•I am repairing a set of bellows on a German sing-bird box, dating from around 1910. I have been following the guidelines set out in Mason's book. Briefly, this is the story so far. The bellows wind chest had been broken in half a long time ago by the look of the break grain. To cut a long story sho...

•I'm in the process of recovering the bellows of a singing bird box by Bruguier. Does anyone have experience with this material as to its being airtight, or if it requires treatment with rubber cement to make it so? Thanks for any help. Ray Bates Newfane, Vermont, USA [ MMDigest articles about zephy...

•Ray Bates is asking if zephyr skin is airtight. We have been using zephyr skin to recover bellows on bird boxes and bird cages for the last 20+ years. In the beginning I would coat the skin on both sides with shellac thinned out with alcohol at a 50-50 level and then, after the shellac dried, would...

•[ Ref. Tony Ciuffini in 111118 MMDigest ] Tony, Thank you for sharing your expertise and confirming that zephyr skin works without further treatment. In all the years I've been working on these little mechanisms, this is the first time I've needed to re-cover any bellows. I have now done a couple o...

•To Ray Bates and any others recovering bellows, When the bellows has been cleaned of the old skins, we always without failure take the valves off, clean them in soapy water in an ultrasonic cleaner and check them for their ability to hold air. If they do not hold air, we then replace them with new ...

•Hi All, Simple question: How much weight (in grams) should it take to collapse a striker pneumatic at least 90% of its travel? I ask because I've been shooting a series of YouTube videos about removing, recovering, and installing strikers and it dawned on me that I hadn't included any information a...

•[ John Tuttle wrote in 120113 MMDigest: > Simple question: How much weight (in grams) should it take > to collapse a striker pneumatic at least 90% of its travel? John Tuttle asks a simple question; the answer is not so simple because it depends on where the weight is placed. Art Reblitz' book says...

•I think the most important aspect is that all the striker pneumatics behave identically, i.e., for any applied vacuum each pneumatic develops the same force. Reduced force due to stiffness of the hinge and pneumatic cloth will not affect the system performance as long as all pneumatics behave the s...

•My book "Player Piano Servicing and Rebuilding" does include the statement that key striking pneumatics should be able to fall shut under their own weight. When I wrote that in 1985, I was being too idealistic. By then, my employees and I had covered many thousands of pneumatics, so I should have k...

•Just one note about testing -- you want to test the pneumatics very well before installing anything. I once used a cloth that didn't adhere well to the pneumatics. I forget which type, but it was recommended as it's extra light. They said to glue the cloth backward. Anyway, the cloth failed me afte...

•Hi All, I've received a number of responses to my inquiry [120113 MMDigest], and I'm somewhat surprised that the question wasn't answered numerous decades ago. I suppose I'm just as guilty as everyone else in that I have always relied on the sensitivity of my 'touch' to "feel" if there was any noti...

•Hi All, It was pointed out to me by Pete Knobloch that I read my manometer incorrectly. As he correctly noted, the vacuum level is actually 1-1/2", not 3/4". I will remove the current video from YouTube and shoot it again. Thanks Pete... Musically, John A Tuttle Player-Care.com Brick, New Jersey, U...

•I was given an Emil Schmeckenbecher bird cage and after disassembly I found that all the bellows diaphragms have dried out and crumbled. Does anyone have any information on where I could buy replacement parts? Les Bartha London, Ontario, Canada

•[ Les Bartha wrote in 120302 MMDigest: > I was given an Emil Schmeckenbecher bird cage and after disassembly > I found that all the bellows diaphragms have dried out and crumbled. > Does anyone have any information on where I could buy replacement > parts? Les, Musicboxworld in Germany should be ab...

•Hi Les, I'm not familiar with the name Emil Schmeckenbecher. However, I believe the bellows diaphragms you are referring to are circular in shape with rubber "O" rings on either side and sort of look like condoms. If that is the case, I'm not aware of any replacements currently being made or sold c...