Hi,
I, too, have replaced the pouches in these modern players. Both were
Universal players from the seventies. Both had all of their pouches
completely fail.
I replaced the pouches with sealed pouch leather however! I just do not
trust any modern materials, even though I was gluing the leather to a stack
made of aluminum, neoprene and plastic.
The pouches were glued on small cylinders with burnt shellac in this
way: I made a small dished area in a board of the proper depth. I then
placed the cut pouch leather over the dished area . I put burnt shellac on a
piece of glass and smeared it around, pressed the cylinder ( I can't
remember if it was plastic or Al), put my finger through the hole and
pressed the cylinder onto the dished area pushing the leather down to the
bottom of the dish. I then lifted it away and let it dry.
I then trimmed the leather and pressed the cylinders into the Aluminum
deck to a depth determining the valve travel.
I then sealed the leather twice with 50/50 rubber cement and naphtha.
Both pianos played perfectly with great repetition.
The hardest part was removing the stacks and re-installing them!
Mr. Berley Antoine Firmin II
Bayou La Combe, Louisiana