Materials

MATERIALS

Bellows cloth, felt, and leather must all be chosen carefully keeping in mind not only good quality, but the purpose for which the material is intended. Leather with a finish on one side might be great for a valve facing, but may perform poorly used as a gasket. The following is a brief listing of some of the materials used in player piano repair, and some of their intended functions. Just because an item doesn't appear on the list doesn't mean it isn't used - if you have questions or feel that I have left an important material off of this page, please e-mail me.

Leather - there are several types of leather used in player piano repair. Suede leather (unfinished on both sides) is used for gaskets and some valve facings; very thin leather (about 0.10 to 0.12 inches thick) is used for replacing pouches and some valve facings; some leather used in electrically operated pumps is finished on one side, and unfinished on the other.

Bellows and Pneumatic cloth - Essentially composed of the same elements (cotton cloth and rubber) these cloths differ mainly in thickness and intended purpose. The thinner pneumatic cloth is used on striker pneumatics (the pneumatic that strikes the wippen (usually) thus causing one note to play) as well as other small control pneumatics. Slightly heavier motor cloth is used on (you guessed it) the wind motor, and somewhat larger control pneumatics. Bellows cloth comes in several thicknesses (usually designated medium, thick and reed organ), and application once again depends on the size and strength of the bellows being covered.

Felt - There are a great many sizes, thickness and types of felt on the market today; fortunately the name of the felt often indicates its intended purpose. Basically there are two kinds of felt - pressed and woven. Pressed felt is properly used for applications where the felt is used in a decorative or very low stress application such as nameboard felt, springrail felt or muffler rail felt. Woven felt is used in applications where there is stress or abrasive movement involved - bushings, keybed felt, capstan felt, etc. Of course, there may be exceptions so this should not be considered law, I'm just trying to hit the high points here.

Since the intent of this site is merely to pique the reader's interest in player pianos and at the same time enable the reader to better communicate with a technician, those interested in further exploring this subject are advised to see the books list located at this site. If you have questions or comments about this page, please e-mail me.

Visit the glossary of terms used in player piano work.

Click here for information on glues and adhesives used in player piano repair and restoration.

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