•I have been using Scotch Magic Tape since at least 1969. I do also use the document tape since it is now suggested. However, since my player has the "fingers" for mechanical tracking I need a firm tape, not the paper tape. Besides, way back long ago QRS itself suggested Scotch Magic tape. I think t...

•-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD -- Hi. I am recovering a little bellows from a whistler. I have done them before, but this time the bottom bellows will not hold air. I replaced the pieces over the paper flap valves and made sure they were not too tight. I then used zephyr skin to ...

•Well my first topic is the building of a player reed organ. I tried to use Hohner reeds but they were out of tune and take too much air. My plans were to make a pressure box and the control the reeds directly but I don't think this will work well enough to get the reiteration of notes from music ro...

•[ In 090713 MMDigest, Edward Baylis asked about a source for the [ Ampico wire-reinforced 3/8" ID supply hoses. I am assuming that you are referring to the 3/8-inch hoses on the right end of the Ampico drawer. In the old days, we did not have wire-reinforced 3/8" supply hoses. Instead, we noted whe...

•I recently brought a 25-year-old Universal player piano into my shop for repairs. It was playing weak and missing many notes. John Omiatek over at QRS warned me I might encounter bad Perflex pouches. To my surprise when I opened the valve assembly and inspected things it wasn't the pouches. In fact...

•Hi All, Bill Maguire's posting [091107 MMDigest] about the Universal pneumatics stimulated me to ask the question; 'Are the pneumatics made out of wood or plastic?' The unit I'm currently working on has wooden pneumatics and the cloth is a blue color. It feels like Nylon and it's in great shape; ni...

•I have been asked to "fix" a Kimball Electramatic Consolette player piano. I plan to fix only the part that doesn't work -- no taking everything apart and putting it back together. The first apparent thing wrong is the motor is dried out and almost froze up. It will try to run. If I could get it ap...

•[ Charlie Creighton wrote in 100627 MMDigest -- > Is there a "How To" publication on this subject? Also > a source for materials to restore this little Gem? I suggest contacting Todd Augsburger in Ohio. His web site is http://www.rollerorgans.com/ and his email address is todd@rollerorgans.com.geen...

•Make sure you take pictures before restoration so you can make the decorations and names the same as the originals. John Vallings New Zealand

•If at all possible, _never_ remove original stenciling. Collectors of organettes can tell the difference. Obviously if it is mostly gone already you are not losing anything. Clean it up first and see how much stenciling is left. Harold Draper has stencils but I do not know what model you have so he...

•I recently acquired a beautiful by non-working Aeolian Grand player from an aged aunt, and transported it 500 miles to my home in Colorado. There are several issues that I'm working with: 1) I have only the serial number, 14505, so I don't know its age or even the model number, if any; 2) I haven't...

•[ Fred Lochner wrote in 100630 MMDigest : > I recently acquired a beautiful but non-working Aeolian Grand player > ... it formerly had player capabilities. Are you sure it is a Grand? "Grand" is a model. They were [offered in] different cases that one could order for it, or even have custom made. U...

•Hello all, I am currently repairing this Otto self-playing accordion. What is the correct way to reattach the aluminium reed assemblies inside the accordion to their wooden carriers? I see the remnants of some sort of waxy stuff (beeswax?). I have to remove some of the reeds as they are not working...

•Hello Bernt Damm and others, While I don't have experience with the Otto Accordion itself, I have restored a few piano accordions from the 1950s and 1960s, so this may be of some help. The wax that holds the reed block in place is a mixture of beeswax and rosin, and possibly other materials. I know...

•Hello, I have here some of those gong spirals made from steel wire. These are for a large clock and they are struck with a leather-faced hammer. Basically, these would operate on the same principle as a steel bar xylophone or the tooth of a music box. The ones I have here seem to have gone off kilt...

•Only a suggestion -- you said no visible cracks, but there could be fatigue cracks that you can _not_ see. I know this to be true in metal reeds. The reed looks good but if you try to make it sound -- yeeesssshhhhh! -- what a noise! Again, only a suggestion to why there is a problem. Leslie Hoffman...

•Hello All, The subject of removing Scotch tape from rolls was reviewed by John Taber in MMD 101121 where he mentions several proprietary fluids. I have always used with complete success the commonly available fluid used for filling cigarette lighters (obviously not the liquid gas). My stock is now ...

•[ Ref. 110220 MMDigest, Value of Ragtime Nickelodeon > Are there cheaper alternatives to a complete re-stringing and pin job? If the strings are in good condition, i.e., not rusty, and the bass strings are not dead, you may be able to re-pin it without complete restringing. This is assuming that th...

•There is a cheap solution: normally its possible to hammer the pins deeper. This can be done if the pins are not too loose, and it should not be done without prior advice of a piano technician. Repinning and then replacing with the old strings is, except for the bass strings, not a good idea. If yo...

•If neatly done, water-thin CA glue in small doses works wonders on restoring tuning pin torque, with no downside I can think of. Here are the reasons I like it: 1. Low cost. A two-ounce bottle is $10, and will often do a whole piano. Buy fresh from a busy hobby store. Old glue won't do. (You need u...