A number of years ago I purchased a Welte Licensee instrument in a
Waddington piano dating from 1926.  It was only after I purchased the
instrument that I discovered that it had been so-called restored.
After working on it a bit and then leaving it and then coming back to
it again, I now have the pump and the expression mechanism fully
rebuilt and working properly.

The primary valves have been releathered and repouched.  Then we come
to the secondary valves.  These were leaking when I got the instrument,
and they showed signs of being "got at"!  I therefore releathered the
pouchboard, replaced all the gaskets, and then moved on to the valves
themselves.

I stripped the valve stems and acquired new collars from the Player
Piano Company.  I had new valve facings punched out and new board
washers made by an organ leather company.  The valve stems then were
assembled as per a number of articles and the PPC catalogue.  Now was
that my mistake?  Reading from the external valve, they are assembled
as follows:

    leather
    board washer
    paper spacing washers
    metal collar

    metal collar
    sponge washer
    metal disc
    leather (shiny side against valve plate)
    smaller metal disc
    leather washer (pouch leather)
    metal collar

Should I not have used the sponge washer?  How much wobble should the
inside valve have (how loose should it be) so that it can level itself
and seat?

Or perhaps there is some other thing that is the major problem?

I have done work on countless players and reproducing pianos, but in
the UK we rarely see Autopiano or Standard actions.  The most common by
far are Aeolian actions.  Your advice would be appreciated, as I
sometimes feel like getting my sledgehammer and breaking the Welte up
for firewood.  But it does have an extensive roll library of originals
and recuts!

Jonathan Holmes
Penzance, UK