In November, 2018 I came across a toy player piano in an antique shop in Pennsylvania. It came with 6 little piano rolls and cost $70. Not all the keys worked, and the air pump mechanism did not appear to function. In January, 2019 I found a couple days to take it completely apart. It is built primarily out of several kinds of plastic, each of which is deteriorating in its own special way. I used a variety of glues (epoxy, hot glue, superglue) to repair and seal the wind chest, various parts of the action, and the inside of the case where the action and wind mechanism had broken free (I also used the various materials and tools one one expect, of course). I cleaned parts of it (trying to leave some dust and patina where possible!) and replaced all the tubing connecting the roll “reader” to each key. Unsurprisingly, the felt used in the action and keybed was in great shape (as opposed to the synthetic components, which are deteriorating). The pics below capture a few moments.
Also, here are three videos demonstrating the operation of this sweet little toy player piano:
Pianolodeon ‘Shine on, Harvest Moon’
Pianolodeon ‘In the Good Old Summertime’
