Hello all,  I've read the archives on and off for a couple of years
and finally subscribed now that I have an reproducing piano to restore
thanks to MMD'er Dave Price.  I'm a hobbyist, I've helped repair
a few players belonging to others in the past but this 1921 Marshall &
Wendell upright with a Stoddard Ampico is the first piano of my own and
the first one that will have a complete restoration.

I expect I will have many questions as my work progresses in the
future, please bear with me if some of them don't appear to be too
bright.  I don't plan to start major work immediately, I'll be beginning
by attempting to make sure the piano is in good enough condition to
warrant restoration.

I've worked in electronics and electro-mechanical systems for many
years; the player action and the piano action will be an interesting
challenge and I know I have a lot to learn but they won't really be a
shocking or amazing task.  I have the 1919 Inspector's Instruction Book,
the Inspector's Reference Book, the Vestal Press How to Rebuild the
Model A Ampico by David Saul, Player Piano Servicing and Rebuilding and
Piano Servicing, Tuning and Rebuilding both by Art Reblitz, so I think
I have some of the basic references.

I do have a couple of immediate questions about obvious problems seen
at the first glance at the Ampico.

The expression buttons and valve assembly are missing, is there
a source for the Stoddard expression buttons and valve?  Can anyone
point me toward a photo or accurate drawing of the buttons or
especially the valve assembly?  The Inspector's Instruction Book shows
a schematic representation and makes the operating principle quite
clear but does not show the actual shape and size of the valve
assembly.  If, as I fear, no replacements are to be found I would be
comfortable making a replacement copied after the original if more
information was available.

The "Silence" button is also missing although part of a pallet valve
is still present on the bottom of the keybed below the button location.
Was this valve completely in the open or is some sort of cover also
missing?  There are no screw holes that might have served to mount a
cover visible.

The rest of the Ampico appears to be pretty much complete with the
exception of a missing piece of linkage in the tempo control, and it
does not appear to have had any extensive work other than some tube
replacement.

Of lesser importance but a matter of curiosity, there are two metal
clips on top of the spool box, behind the repeat mechanism.  My first
thought was that they were to hold a tracker bar pump but they are much
too small.  They are about 1 inch (25 mm) high, spaced 6 1/4 inches
apart and could hold something up to about 1/2 inch thick.  Does anyone
know what these might have held?

Thanks,  Wayne Johnson