Player question

[Jon Page]

Marcel,
Don't bother !

Since the tubes to the tracker bar are brittle/broken, all other tubes are
as well. The bellows and pneumatic cloth have developed pin holes or
tears along the creases. The leather valve faces are deteriorated and the
pouches leak.

Does "can oF worms" come to mind?

The cloth on the wind motor and tracking device is probably stiff too. 

It's not like installing a new cord on a lamp. The problem is widespread.

Player Piano Co. has a tool for pulling off the petrified tubing,
(I use a tool I made for pulling reeds). Sometimes soaking in gasolene
is the only course.

Experience counts on this one,  If you replace the tubing you will find
something else which doesn't work. A picture of a dog chasing its tail 
presents itself in my mind now.

Even if she said, "It worked before"; ask yourself, "How well"?

So tell her that you can replace the tubing but can not guarantee it
to play and that if anything breaks, it is not your fault. The old materials
are on the brink of complete failure.

Pnuematic cloth and tubing lasts only 20 to 30 years. They don't make
'em like they used to, and the ones they did are 60 years old now.
It is possible to find the real old materials is working condition, but thaty
is the exception.

Good Luck,

Jon Page



At 06:37 AM 10/19/98 -0400, you wrote:
>    Dear list,   "",  is the following:                  What's the easiest
>way to remove the old tubing that seems to be stuck to the  metal part of
>the action? I only have to replace the tubing behing the tracker  bar. My
>customer told me that as she was adjusting the transposing mechanism,  the
>player just went dead. After opening the tracker box, I noticed that all
>the  tubes were broken. Is there an easy way to remove the old tubes?  
>Thanks in advance for all your expertise.   Marcel Carey, RPT Sherbrooke,
QC