I am sure everyone who restores pneumatics and bellows in pianos wants
to purchase the very best quality rubberized or synthetic cloths. In
most cases everyone has been disappointed.
The problem is not with the supplier, but the manufacturers of the
materials. Different batches of rubber coating have different lasting
qualities that cannot be predicted other than by time itself, and then
it is too late!
I do not understand why a rubber coating formula cannot be standardized,
but in the 50+ years that I have worked on players, buying rubberized
cloth has been a gamble, and there is no guarantee of quality.
When I rebuilt our Ampico in 1995 I thought I was buying the very best
of pneumatic cloth. Today I discover this cloth is failing and the
work must be done over. This is very disappointing!
If someone knows of a rubber cloth that is guaranteed and will last
for years, I would like to know about it.
Bruce Clark
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