•MMD readers will be relieved and delighted to learn that sealed, uncured RTV silicone adhesives have shelf lives of several years, especially if kept cold. Even once their package seals are broken, they will remain usable for many months if all air is expelled and they are hermetically resealed. Un...

•Hi all, I'm finishing a Duo-Art system and am now working on the pump. I cut new flap valves from a piece of heavy leather that works for almost all of the pieces, but there are two flaps that I installed that simply don't seal tightly. The leather curls slightly out. I verified that this was the p...

•Tuning a Mills Violano is really not that hard. One does not need a tuning roll at all. First, open the piano door back so that the action and magnets can be accessed. The best way I have found is tuning the instrument using the circle of fifths (music theory). Start with A# then D# then G# then C#...

•W. Deane Wiley wrote: "When the hammers are resting on the top back of the keys, how much play, if any, should there be between the back of the hammer and the top of the wooden button attached to the wire coming from the pneumatic?" I'd like to start by saying that I know of no modern Aeolian playe...

•There are several variations of the Aeolian system Andy Hood describes, listed here in chronological order: 1. Tracker ears tubed to valve block containing adjustable valves identical to Theme primary valves. 2. Tracker ears tubed to valve block containing button valves. 3. As above, but tracker ea...

•Hi All, Deane Wiley wrote [071001 MMDigest]: > When the hammers are resting on the top back of the keys, how much play, > if any, should there be between the back of the hammer and the top > of the wooden button attached to the wire coming from the pneumatic? I'm not sure if I already replied or if...

•Much has been said of the music machines at Virginia City, Montana. However, there's another area which has not been mentioned. I'm referring to the large collection of B.A.B. master rolls for carousel organs. When I last talked to the curator of the collection some two years ago, I was told that t...

•Hi Brad and MMD friends. Which piano system is best for you? When I started out in this wonderful hobby, I started with two upright foot-pumped 88-note players. I love them and still do, but soon I discovered the reproducers and felt it was time to graduate to them. I asked many friends in the hobb...

•I think I may be about to "stir the possum" or "put the cat among the pigeons" here. A couple of months ago I asked for, and received, some very good advice about the correct travel for the three cross valves in the pedal power governor in my Steck Half Duo-Art. During an exchange of emails with on...

•I wish I could chime in with factual data. However some of the question of valve response was addressed in organ technical literature. As a kid I found in the Portland Oregon main library (the one with the nude statue of Venus in the lobby) a book that described pouch size, tube size and length. Th...

•-- Helps the Instrument but Wrecks the House Our inestimable editor Rhodes sent me a link to a discussion forum where many heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals write about air handling. I learned quite a bit. The discussions reinforced nearly all my personal experiences. I...

•The following applies only to RTV type rubber such as that sold by hobby shops or sculptor stores. I tried making Ampico rubber mounting blocks and some of the ones I made worked out great while some did not. I no longer offer them but I can give some advice. The rubber should not be mold-making ru...

•I suspect there are leaks. Many small leaks add up to one big leak, and there are literally hundreds of places that might leak. Each one should be tested. Test: 1. Place masking tape over the tracker bar. 2. Set lever to play position 3. Set Tempo at 75, because the air motor uses a lot of vacuum a...

•Although the rule of thumb in working with old mechanical music instruments ought to be "do it the way the original builder did it, because he knew more than you do," the field of music roll paper might be one that is ripe for innovation. Plastics technology and paper chemistry have probably advanc...

•In regards to my post on American Chestnut, I was misinformed by the fellows who gave me the lumber. Shortly after I posted it I received a couple of emails questioning if it was the right species. Yesterday I took a sample of the wood to a guitar maker I know who lives about 60 miles from here. He...

•Luckily, the original pouches in the 1926 Mason & Hamlin are still good. The leather is strong in the few valves that I have split. (They split very easy and clean after placing them in the desert sun for an hour). I will need to seal pouches and cannot find rubber cement thinner anywhere. My quest...

•To get any seriously useful help at a distance, you'll need to supply more information. I know nothing of the Seeburg L, but have a fair amount of general electrical and organ knowledge. Has the fault occurred immediately upon restoration, or after some use? In what condition is the internal wiring...

•When I bought my first house in the early 1970's, I could walk less than 500 feet to a very nice public library in suburban Chicago. It was in that library that I read books on piano restoration, including the rebuilding of reproducing player piano systems. At that time, Larry Givens' book, "Rebuil...

•Hello all, I thought I would write and let everyone know that the Wurlitzer band organ located at Joyland Park in Wichita, Kansas, has a new owner. Stan Nelson, owner of the amusement park since the 1970s, passed away a month ago. His family came to me and asked if I would like to purchase the orga...

•[ Ref. "Band Organs at Tilden Park, Berkeley, Calif." [ by Claudine Jones in 100907 MMDigest Dear Miss Jones, I was appalled to hear of your miserable experience at the Tilden Park Carousel above Berkeley. My family built and operates the steam trains in Tilden Park for the last 58 years. The beaut...