[ Clinton Gray wrote in 111104 MMDigest --

> The piano also has its original foot pumps, but they are somewhat
> loose and swing from side to side if you pump too hard.

Hi Clinton,  Loose treadles are common on the later era Aeolian
players.  It is really a simple fix.  The two side arms terminate at
the bottom cross brace with a 1/2" nut backed with a washer and lock
washer.  All that is usually needed is to tighten these two nuts and
all will be firm and tight.

I have seen one of the nuts actually missing, from getting too loose
and falling off.  It is a 1/4"-20 thread, about the most common, and it
needs the lock washer and tightening to make it stay.  This is usually
not a problem as so few people really pump the players anymore.  I find
the loose ones at older folks homes where they remember the fun and
control of pumping.

> There was an air leak somewhere in the piano, and we found that
> turning the volume all the way up temporarily remedied the problem.

Your other problem is probably not too serious either.  If the volume
control allows you to hold air, usually that indicates that one or more
of the spill valves located on the pump has its vent cover missing.
The four plastic unit valves located on the top of the motor are
connected to the volume control via two tubes.

The four valves are connected in pairs and the top vent of each is
sealed with a round gold sticker.  When a pair is activated by moving
the volume control knob to the center position, it opens one pair of
valves and they dump vented air into the pump motor housing box to the
lower the vacuum tension on the system.  Moving the knob to the soft
position dumps both pairs of valves, thus letting off more tension.

The volume control knob has only three positions: full tension, one
pair dump and two pairs dump.  Many people think that the knob is
analog and continuous whereas it is really a digital three-position
control.  A small piece of Magic Tape will reseal the vent holes and
the control should work again.

Ferdinand Pointer - The Piano Company
Clearwater, Florida