Throw Away Your Spring Clamps !   No, on second thought, they are handy
for large paper clips.  However, anyone with the best grade of hot animal
hide glue heated to 140 to 145 degrees F., will not use clamps to attach
striking pneumatics to wooden stack tiers.

If the pneumatics are disc- (not belt-) sanded on their gluing surface,
and the rails are made perfectly flat, it is much faster to simply rub
the pneumatics in place.  By means of capillary action, the pneumatics
will stick to the rails as the glue squeezes out, and not need to be held
in place until the glue sets.

Has anyone ever seen clamp marks on original pneumatics?  I can't recall
seeing any; therefore, I assume that the factories used this same
technique, well known to old-time woodworkers for attaching triangular
reinforcing fillets to the underside of tables, etc.  On a typical rail
(Standard) I find that gluing 30 or so pneumatics, without clamps, takes
about 12 minutes.

The resultant bond cannot be broken without breakage of wood.  Clamps add
nothing to the strength of any glue joint where the parts are "optically"
flat.  If the fibers do not mate, they may sometimes be brought into
conformity with clamps.

Ampico used coarse cotton muslin between pneumatics and rails, knowing
that the squeeze-through furnished more than sufficient adhesion to
prevent the pneumatic from loosening during a powerful fortissimo blow;
yet, the bond could be broken to replace a defective pneumatic, if
necessary.  At the approximate time when Ampicos need restoration, these
pneumatics are ready to fall off nicely, without breakage.

I used to use this method when such muslin was being sold to hold
together excelsior in evaporative cooler pads and could be bought in
local hardware stores; but for ten years or so, I haven't been able to
get it.  This fabric must contain no synthetics.  I used to glue it to
the rail with diluted hot hide glue, then set the material stretched over
the holes on fire, to remove it!  It vanished without a trace.  Easier
than punching...

Larry Broadmoore