-- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD --

I recently picked up a Wurlitzer Kingston player at a yard sale for
$20, and I only paid that much for it because the guy told me the
player mech did not work.  You see, I'm a DIY kinda guy.  Anyway,
so I've got this piano that's in great shape, but I want it to play
in auto mode if you will.

Since I knew nothing about player pianos, I began doing some home work,
trying to figure out how it works, and more importantly, what's wrong
with mine, and what will it take to fix it.

I finally diagnosed the problem as having blown pouches.  The previous
owner did mention that he had tried using a vacuum cleaner at one time
to make it play.  Probably blew out all remaining good pouches.

I disassembled the whole mech, and found that the air boxes (not sure
what to call them) were glued rather than screwed, so I split them with
a sharp butcher knife and a small mallet (tapping, tapping, and more
tapping).  Sure enough, the pouches had had it.

I've read everything posted here about zephyr skins, pouch leather,
glues, and the dreaded glycerin.  How can so many people be having so
much trouble with the stuff?  I decided, there must be a better way,
and I must find it!

I believe I have found the answer in vinyl.  You see, my wife is part
Filipino, and if there is one thing Filipinos like is free stuff,
so when my wife had our youngest child, she liberated several boxes
of gloves from the closet of the recovery suite.  These were the
hypo-allergenic non-latex gloves.  Vinyl gloves, green.

I probably only need about eight of them, less if I use the fingers.
Anyway, I'm well on my way to re-covering the paper rings that I
salvaged from the old pouches.  I've installed a few in advance to test
things out, and it's working great so far.  My only concern now is that
the vinyl may dry up.  I don't know.  I may look for something like
armor-all to help keep them supple.  I used ordinary yellow Elmer's
wood glue for the adhesive.  Call me a heretic.

John Cabrer