Craig Brougher wrote, in 990620 MMD:

> But the truth of the matter is this: gasketed player pianos,
> reassembled dry, will always leak in winter and tighten up in
> summer.  But those players' seals which do that have probably been
> previously broken at some time.  How do I suspect that?  Because
> the factories should have all known a very simple fact: When you wet
> a leather seal before you install it, it holds better.  That's why
> I have noticed that the original gasketed seals all seem to stick,
> and have to be "forced" apart before you can fix them.  But dry
> leather or cork, unless spring- loaded and clamped, will not seal
> equally in diversely seasonal areas.  You have to do something extra
> in order to get away with simple screw clamping.

Craig, you have touched on the main question I have regarding my player
piano.  I live in a house with forced hot-air heat, which is exception-
ally dry in the winter.  The summers here (in the Philadelphia area)
are quite humid.

My player plays fine in the warm months, but during the heating season,
even with a humidifier in the room, the leakage is so bad that it is
not worth the effort.  I have for years contemplated "tightening up"
the screws during the winter, but have not because I feared that when
the weather changed, the wood would expand and perhaps split under the
tight screws.

Is there a proper way to resolve this problem?  Craig, you mention
"doing something extra", and above that, "When you wet a leather seal
before you install it, it holds better."  Is that the key?  If so, wet
it with what?  Plain water?  or some special solution or leather
treatment?

It makes sense, because I imagine even slight water moisture would
cause the gasket to "stick" to the wood it is mated to, and remain
stuck even after the moisture has evaporated.  I want to try it, but I
want to make sure I do it right.  Of course, the player is working fine
now, so I would not expect to see any difference until the dry season.

Or, do I need to go the "spring-loaded and clamped" route?

I have a lot to learn, and I appreciate any suggestions.

Mark S. Chester
mschester@msn.com