Plugging and redrilling an action rail

[AlliedPianoCraft]

JD, I always save the sanding dust from my sanding machines. Very fine. I add that to a good epoxy. It will fill holes and machines very well.

Al G

Allied PianoCraft
PO Box 1549
High Point, NC 27261
(336) 454-2000
PianoTech at alliedpianocraft.com
www.alliedpianocraft.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Delacour" <JD at Pianomaker.co.uk>
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 1:10 PM
Subject: Plugging and redrilling an action rail


> 
> I'm preparing in my mind a job that needs to be done and which I 
> haven't done before.
> 
> The problem is with an otherwise quite nice overstrung by Wilhelm 
> Spaethe of Gera that will sound good and look good and is therefore 
> worth restoring and will fetch a good price.
> 
> How the mistake was originally made I can't imagine, but the position 
> of the hammer flange screw on the first plain steel note is about 
> 10mm to the left of where is should be and the error reduces 
> gradually until about note 55, when things are just about right.
> 
> The original finisher got over this difficulty by first sticking the 
> shanks in the butts at a considerable angle and then twisting the 
> hammer-head to negate the remaining error.  I have bored out the 
> butts and got a good set of Wurzen AA hammers from Abel, and shanks, 
> and they will sound very good.  I now have the option of either 
> getting a new rail bored correctly from Renner, but almost certainly 
> with the wrong flange profile and all sorts of other problems, or 
> plugging and redrilling the existing rail where it is unacceptable. 
> As to the keys, I'll work out that problem before diving in.
> 
> There will be no problem redrilling at the tenor end because the new 
> holes will not interfere with the old ones, but for 15 or 20 notes -- 
> say 50 holes -- I shall need to be drilling close to or overlapping 
> the old plugged hole.  I've thought of leather and epoxy for plugging 
> the holes, but I'd be interested to hear other ideas from people who 
> have done the job before.  Is there some magic plugging solution that 
> will produce a durable result and be as good as it should have been 
> when new?
> 
> JD
> 
> 
> 
>
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