hammer butt springs

[Keith A. McGavern]

Newton posted:
>Replacing the flanges is faster than rethreading them.
>Four years ago they were about $75.00 a set, which is cheap considering the
>cost your time putzing with string.


And Jim Harvey posted:
>     You can get "silk" cord from the supply houses. Or, if the butts
>     are the type with butt plates, you may just want to buy
>     replacement flanges (with the cords) from Yomama or Schaff. It
>     might be less labor intensive. Either way, try to
>     identify/eliminate the cause while working on the effect.

Dear Friends,

I got to thinking about this "which is more efficient" process, replacing
flanges vs. replacing thread.

Now I'm not claiming to have covered all the bases here, but here's what
came to me.

1) The action has to come removed and reinstalled for both processes.
2) The hammer assemblies (hammer head, shank, butt, flange) have to be
removed and reinstalled for both processes.  (So far, same effort)

At this point replacing the broken cord doesn't require any further
disassembly or reassembly, replacing the flanges does (two labor steps
saved).  Also, the cost of replacement flanges is saved.

Reinstalling hammer assemblies with new flanges would require
(professionally speaking)  traveling, filing, spacing, fitting, and voicing
the hammers to the strings, not so with replacing the cord (five more labor
steps saved)

Replacing the cord requires cutting 88 pieces of correct length, cleaning
the grooves where the old cord is, little dab of glue in the correct place
on the flange, put cord in place, let glue set, little dab of glue on the
other correct place on the flange, put cord in place, let glue set, and
then reinstall hammer assemblies with minor spacing of hammers to the
strings.

Since I have never done a complete replacement of either process, I can't
say which is faster.  But based on what I have just extrapolated, I would
have to go with replacing the cord first, hands down, before replacing the
flanges.  If there are some missing details, please let me know.

Keith A. McGavern, RPT
Oklahoma Chapter 731
Oklahoma Baptist University
Shawnee, Oklahoma