Just a guess as I havn't seen a Sting since 1978 or so. But the valve that shuts off when you put your thumb over top hole, (the one to atmosphere) usually means the valve stem is slow in rising, which means the pouch is not getting enough air, or is leaking. (Or rare that a mouse leaked on the valve stem and it is corroded thru the guide). Its not getting enough air because the path from the hole in the tracker is obstructed, or it is leaking some where along the line. The first place to check for a leak is to make sure the valve unit is screwed down tightly. Now this is where I forget how the shut off mechanism works. If it is not mechanical, ie the flapping paper after reroll hits a switch, then there must be two valves in case one gets triggered by a tear in the roll, just as there must be two valves for rewind else a tear trigger that. These valves have to be triggered from the tracker bar and so as not to interfere with the music they are usually the outer ones the ones closest to the edge of the roll that frequently has tears in it. So the better players used two holes to trigger reroll and shut off. The Sting does not fit into this category, so you may be dealing with one valve, that is activated by one tracker bar hole. Check that valve and see if one or two tracker bar sized tubes run into it. Also check the tubes themselves. Its been almost 20 years now, some may be getting brittle and cracking or loosening around the brass connector tubes. If all fails try replacing the valve. They can be ordered from Player Piano Co in Kansas. Ask for a service manual also. As to why putting your thumb over the opening makes the valve work, you need a stop action diagram of the workings of the tracker bar hole, the pouch, the bleed, the valve, and its two seats, and the valve's connection to the chest vacuum and pneumatic. The seat could be leaking, but you would hear a hissing sound. Also the linkage to the switch should be able to be adjusted so that the pneumatic doesn't have to go all the way closed to flip the switch. Slow valve = slow pneumatic. Cheap way to "work around" the problem. Richard Moody PS If you are ever near the Bay Area, I can put you in touch with the ultimate modern player piano guru. Or Minneapolis, his twin brother is just as good. PPS If you came up with the scotch tape "solution" yourself, you should consider getting into player pianos more. Its like greasy grimmey, smelly, knuckle scraping automobile engines, They are either a marvel, or a madness. ---------- > From: Daryl Matthies <pianotec@hnet.net> > To: 'pianotech@byu.edu' > Subject: Sting Player Shut-up > Date: Wednesday, May 07, 1997 7:50 PM > > Hi all, > > Players are not my favorite subject, but I serviced an Aeolian Sting the > other day that wouldn't shut off after the roll rewound. I fixed the > little bugger by taping off about 3/4 of the hole on the shut-off valve. > After cleaning the tracker bar, checking the reroll tubing, reroll > pneumatic and cherry switch, I just couldn't figure out what could be the > culprit. I stuck my finger over the shut-off valve and it quit. Now I > know it works, but why? I was told by a player guru that shut-off valves > almost never go bad. Maybe this one did! > > Thanks folks, > Daryl Matthies > West Bend, WI > pianotec@hnet.net >
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