Quick tips for lazy people...

If you put the pneumatic action stack back in a piano and it seems
finished and you play a test roll and a few notes don't play at low
vacuum, don't despair -- you can make a fix with it in most pianos,
especially grands.  It will work for years, ten or more, as I have done
it several times.

If it is the pouch not being sealed well enough, then make the bleed
smaller.  You can decrease its size by tiny amounts by taking a braided
lamp cord, revealing the wire and take several strands and put in bleed
and tape so doesn't fall out.  Reseal and play the test roll.  Usually
it will play fine.  If still too leaky a pouch put in more tiny wire.

If you fill the bleed and it still won't make the note play, then put
a primary valve in series with the bad note.  The primary will make
almost anything work as the air coming in when 'on' will be a lot.
Be sure to make a vacuum source from the stack so vacuum will be the
same as the secondary.  I used an old Ampico primary from a drawer.
You figure out where to get one.

I did the primary thing six years ago on my very expensive Steinway AR
and it's still fine.  Double valves are almost as fast as the original
single valves in the D-A.  It may not be "right" but it works fine for
restoring a player to work evenly without removing the stack, taking it
apart and resealing or replacing a pouch.  Please don't think this is
correct rebuilding but if it works in such a way as to be
indistinguishable, then do it.

About rerolling and tearing -- spread the spool ends and tap down the
roll at the end.  If still tears on right, then make it reroll with
roll slightly to right about 1/16 inch.  If you do that you have to
spread all your spools or they will tear old rolls on reroll on left.
The idea is to reroll without the old paper touching the sides of top
spool.

Some spools are _bad_ and don't have the correct taper near the outer
diameter.  Use another good one.  I have 4000 old rolls and do not tear
them on Ampico or Duo-Art.  The Welte Licensee piano has a narrower
take-up spool.

Also be sure your take-up spool has no snubber and turns freely by
hand.  Also be sure it is not too wide for the paper to wander during
play as this will cause tearing on reroll.   Using these ideas there is
no need to have only recuts.  So many pieces were never recut and new
rolls are expensive.

Dean Howe