player piano problem

[Tony Caught]

Hi Dan,

Actually it would be handy to know exactly what you have done to begin with
but here is a few things to look for. And, are you a Piano tuner ?

The pianola consists of two stacks, the upper and the lower. In your case
the lower stack now appears to be working OK.
The upper stack is reliant on four items being air tight and you are loosing
air through one of them.
Controls. The loud pedal pneumatic may be stuffed. block it of and try
again.
Still the same.
The upper stack is now very suspect. Cover the tracker bar with a piece of
sticky tape and try again.
If no pneumatics move and the condition remains the same then the valves are
not seating and the vacuum is not getting through to the pneumatics. Try
putting or a vacuum cleaner to see if it will seat the valves and give you
better control.
If the pneumatics move then I would think that the tubes between the tracker
bar and the upper stack are not performing  there job.
Check to make sure all trunk tubing is firm between the upper and lower
stacks.
Have the pneumatics been recovered. If not they may be leaking air everytime
a note is played.

Tony Caught
Darwin Australia
caute@bigpond.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan O'Mara" <dan@stealthtech.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2002 7:27 PM
Subject: player piano problem


> I am not a regular member to the piano tech group, but I would greatly
> appreciate a couple of suggestion by reply email:
>
> I am trying to restore an old player.
> I have the bellows etc. working well, now when in play mode it BARELY
plays
> when pumping as hard/fast ask you can go - BUT - when you slide the lever
> into rewind vacuum comes up and the pedals operate good/firm, and it
rewinds
> fast as per normal vacuum. etc.
>
> What do you suggest?
>
> Dan
>
> _______________________________________________
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