•My most sincere thanks for all who responded to my dilemma of having my 8-track player eat a lovely tape I was trying to convert to a CD. The fix that a number of you suggested is incredibly simple. I first smoothed out the slightly damaged portion of the tape within the 2-foot loop hanging outside...

•I'm working on an old piano. The action is pretty stiff. According to Reblitz, the ideal answer is to take the pins out and ream the bushings. Not having the tools for this, I'm looking at his alternatives: alcohol/water mixture or center pin lubricant. I've also heard several other chemical altern...

•[ Mike Blackwell wrote in 030205 MMDigest: ] > I'm working on an old piano. The action is pretty stiff. According to > Reblitz, the ideal answer is to take the pins out and ream the bushings. > > Not having the tools for this, I'm looking at his alternatives: > alcohol/water mixture or center pin l...

•A book could be written on this subject. There are so many points to cover. Concerning additives: there is no single super-duper cure-all. Nothing works well every time. In fact, sometimes what works for a while ends up being detrimental in the long run. When I find a stiff action, I go by my previ...

•Tight or "sticky" pivots are better than loose ones, I think. IPA (alcohol) and water (one tiny drop on pivot left to dry) works well. A little "exercising" of pivot in conjunction with concurrent 90 degree moment each way also effective. Alan Erb

•Eric Shoemaker wrote in 030216 MMDigest: > On another subject: sticky action parts -- I have found the chemical > "Perc" to be the perfect (pardon the pun) "solution" to this problem. Sounds toxic. The best CLP to use is available from Joe Goss http://www.mothergoosetools.com/ The product is Goose ...

•I have attended several Piano Technicians Guild meetings, seminars and conventions. They are excellent sources for information about these type of subjects. The organization is loaded with people who disparage automatic musical instruments, and player rebuilders clearly do not get the respect they ...

•We have a 5 hp repulsion-induction motor, on our Ashorne Compton organ, driving a Discus blower by Watkins and Watson circa 1933. The motor is dual-voltage, single-phase, 1450 rpm [on 50 Hz mains]. It's very reliable, but on one occasion the switch-over gear jammed and it was held in induction mode...

•Hi All, Check the Theatre Organ home page and follow the link that is part way down the page for a scan of an original Spencer OrgoBlo owner's manual: http://www.theatreorgans.com/ Also, check the ATOS Mississippi Chapter knowledge base article for complete directions on restoring a Century blower...

•Greetings to all! I would like to say 'Thank You' to all who have taken time to reply to my questions regarding use of whiting and gum arabic as a stop for soldering organ pipes. Organ Supply Industries is a source of these, as well as stearine candles. They also provide a recipe for the whiting an...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Lindner Pianos were the most advanced and innovative pianos for a hundred years. They were light, durable, cheap, of a good tone and conventional touch. Levelling of the keys was a minute's job. Lost motion was cured in minutes. The plastic actio...

•What a coincidence! I had my first Universal player stack brought into the shop by a local tuner last weekend. It had completely quit. The problem seemed to be that they used a polyurethane pouch formed over a PVC ring and then glued into the pouch well, very much like a Wurlitzer valve block. Most...

•Hi All, In reference to Brian Thornton's posting about repairing Universal pouches, there's a much easier way! Instead of repairing them, replace them! I have a source that makes new rings. A complete set sells for $115.00. The pouch material is crystal clear polyethylene, which is impervious to mo...

•In regard to Mr. Austin's Simplex problems; Have you checked the slide connections to the governor assembly? Are the leather nuts in place or are they loose? Is there any vacuum coming from the governor nipple when you pump? Does your air motor turn freely? Try testing your air motor with another s...

•Hi Roy, Player-Care.com has a fair amount of information about the Simplex player mechanism. Just use the handy Search Feature on the main page and type in the word "Simplex". Or you can go to the Search Page (see below) and perform the search: http://www.player-care.com/atlas_99.html You can also ...

•Hi all, here is a quick fixer upper. Just yesterday I was playing my Hardman Duo console and one of the valves in the tracker pneumatic went bad on me. I didn't have the super fine thin paper that was in it to replace it with, so my quick fix was to use a piece of plastic from a Ziplock bag. Now, b...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Hello all, Does anyone have any actual practical experience of using an adhesive such as Araldite, etc., for attaching single replacement or groups of teeth into a cylinder musical box comb? The time honoured method of soldering works okay, but I...

•To the correspondent who asked the question about attaching comb teeth with super glue or epoxy [030818 MMDigest]: 1. It won't be stable or firm enough to withstand the constant vibratory forces 2. It won't transmit its vibrations in the same way or in the same quality as a well made metal-to-metal...

•Hello All, As a follow-up to my previous post regarding the fitting of comb teeth using an adhesive, I would firstly like to thank those few who responded and also apologise to anyone who may have been offended by my comments. The initial problem was that it was assumed by the readers that I knew n...

•Today I brought home a Gem Roller Organ with 13 cobs. The metal hardware works properly. That is, turns the cob and the pins on the cob open and close the pallet valves. However, there is no sound. Before I can determine what the problem could be I need to know more about how this little "gem" work...