After reading all the opinions on this subject for the last two weeks,
I once again applied a thin bead of PVC-E around the perimeter of a
nickel-plated brass valve seat from an old player piano, an aluminum
replacement seat from Organ Supply Co., and to the shellacked finish on
a piece of scrap wood.  ("Thin bead" approximates the size of a pencil
lead, but somewhat flattened down to make a good seal.)

The next day, I picked the glue off the valve plates and the shellacked
wood sample easily with my fingernail in just a few seconds.  This is
what I expected, and what I described in my previous posting on the
subject.  I've also removed PVC-E from valve plates and shellacked wood
with similar ease years after it was applied.  I don't know what I'm
missing, but it certainly didn't take any time, nor did it require the
use of a torch nor solvents.  I repeat: I do not glue metal plates down
to wood with PVC, nor do I apply PVC-E to bare (unshellacked) wood
surrounding valve seats.

When we recover easily-replaced softwood stack deck board pneumatics
that previously were covered with PVC-E and Polylon (where the glue
was applied to bare wood, as it should be), we replace the pneumatics.
For hardwood unit pneumatics that are time-consuming to duplicate, we
scrape the PVC-E off if possible, or make new unit pneumatics if
necessary.  For recessed pouch wells that have had pouches glued with
PVC-E -- one of the all-time worst uses of the product -- we scrape
slowly and patiently, and wish we could make the person who put it in
there take it back out.  If the pouch wells are damaged too badly, we
make new pouch blocks or boards.

Art Reblitz