Gordon & all (in case there are more ideas out there),
Considering today's player piano market, where pianos are being given
away, I don't know how large a market there is for such a neat item
(in my opinion) to finish off a restoration. There are low production
methods, for say, ten or twenty mats (which would mean five or ten
pianos would get them @ two pedals per piano!), not requiring the
expensive die method. Of course, these methods usually involve a lot
more labor.
One idea would be to use a flexible mold-making material that you would
brush on, or pour on your mat (after applying mold release). This then
gives you a negative of the pedal, which you can then fill with a
self-hardening rubber material (one brand is Devcon, who makes various
hardness of rubber-like products). Depending on your luck, you might
get five or more before you'd have to make a new mold.
The resulting mat would be slightly smaller due to cure shrinkage,
but probably not enough to be noticeable. I used this method to make
a one-off steering column seal on a Rolls-Royce many years ago, and it
was much more complex than a flat mat.
Another way to get a mold, or maybe even a finished mat, is a three-D
prototyping method that uses a complex machine that is almost science
fiction like. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototyping for
a description.
Another idea would be to contact a company that does a lot of short-run
rubber parts. In the old car hobby, Duane Steele is a major supplier
of rubber parts, including running board covers. Hope this gives you
some options!
David Dewey
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