Wow,  I really stirred up a lot of responses to my electrical safety
awareness question.

Every wire in my Ampico was replaced.  The motor was completely gone over
by a competent electric motor shop.  Most original wires were very bad
indeed.  The power cord that fastens to the back of the piano was 20 feet
long!   It was rayon covered and lots of the rayon was missing, leaving
two fat cloth-covered wires exposed here and there.  Why would anyone
require a twenty foot cord?   In any event, I replaced it with a much
shorter new black rubber extension type cord.  The very worst problem was
within the metal box connector on the back of the piano leading to the
plug inside the piano where the motor is connected.  This wire, was naked
of rubber covering, with most of it crumbled and looking very bad, yet it
still worked!

One of my main concerns is a Seeburg switch and coin counting mechanism.
It looks rather sinister with it's original bare wires and contacts.  The
old wires are very heavy, even the wiring to the lamps, and most run
through tubes of some mysterious insulating material.   All flexible.
The rubber insulation looks to be relatively good.  (The pump and
pneumatics are original! and still good!)  Perhaps all that cigar smoke
that seems to be trapped  within it's soul has preserved the rubber over
the years?

It has been a dilemma for me.  Should I tear out all the internal
original wiring and replace it with new plastic coated wire that is used
in modern house wiring? The old switch and coin counter would still
remain, and the wires would still be bare.  I am not about to tear out
the original coin mechanism in the name of safety and replace it with a
cheap imitation.  I know of many collectors who have pianos and
nickelodeons with original wiring that have been connected house current
for years, without any problems... but could this be an accident waiting
to occur?

While I know enough to immediately disconnect a stalled motor, and can
see how a hot motor could start a fire, I worry mainly about the switches
and wiring that might become a fire hazard.

The Duo-Art I mentioned in my original article, had a severe 10 inch
burned circle surrounding the metal box that housed the connector on the
end of the power cord.  In spite of this, most of the internal wiring was
in good condition.  The switch and motor were also in good condition.

The problem of electric shock does not bother me as much as the concern
of fire hazard.  Although, I must mention that I did receive a nasty jolt
from a Mills Violano one time and also another from a metal bracket which
holds Seeburg electric lights.  ( One of the wood screws holding the
bracket pierced one of the wires, making the bracket "live" when the
piano is turned on.) It had been that way since the day of manufacture!

In the meantime, I will disconnect the power cord to the electric pianos
when they are not in use, and will sleep a bit better.

Bruce Clark