Dear List-Folk,
You guys are working way too hard! This common problem, an enlarged hole
(...or a wood/screw interface for you techno-speak types), can be easily,
quickly, and painlessly repaired in a few moments. The following repair is
permanent, and works on ANY screw repair where massive amounts of wood
HAVEN'T been removed... especially by other "repairs".
Don't attempt the toothpick repair! The first time you turn the screw...
you get ground sawdust in the screwhole. This isn't effective in a flange
repair... that screw must go in and out many times in the Life of the piano,
and you need a solid repair. I'd be cautious with the epoxy & CA-Glue repairs
for the same reason. What happens if the screw WON'T come out again!?!?
Suppose the screw, while turning it's way in, pops a pocket of unhardened
epoxy or CA??? Wouldn't that screw be inclined to stay put for the next few
decades... with a stripped head... after you try EVERYTHING to get it out
again!?!? You think you have problems now... what if you SNAP the head off
one of these screws?I won't comment (...much) on using paper or cardboard or
a business card or cat hair or other esoteric inserts into the wood. But...
you need a permanent repair that will allow you to get the screw in and out
while holding firmly... you need a repair that won't take forever... you need
a repair that Steinway would approve of... right?
Try this folks (it's OK... I was stunned when I saw how easy it was, too.)
About 15 years ago, I attended a tech-session at Sherman-Clay (...then
Steinway dealer) in San Francisco. The technical was to demonstrate the
differences between the Hamburg and New York production lines... but the real
gem was this repair.
Leather Insert- When a screw is stripped (especially flange screws) you need
a quick permanent repair. Cut a thin piece of backcheck leather (or scrap a
bit thinner, upright catcher-leather for instance) equal to the length of the
screw. It should be less than 1/2 the diameter of the screw in width (or the
hole is too stripped for repair by this method). For a common stripped flange
screw you'll need a thin strip about as wide a thick paper match. Put a thin
coat of woodworkers's glue on the rough side and force the leather into the
hole with an awl (or the wire from a rubber-mute). Use the awl to align the
rough side against the wood and establish a spot to insert the screw. Insert
the screw slowly...make sure that the leather is not being forced ahead of
the screw as you tighten it down. Tighten it only as far as it would normally
sit with the flange in there, too. Leave the screw in for 15 or 20 minutes
(if possible... you CAN leave the screw after the first insert... but I'm
more comfortable letting the glue have a chance to dry a bit first.), then
back it out and replace the flange. Tighten the screw as you normally would.
Congratulations, you now have a permanently repaired screwhole. You can trust
this repair, and treat such screws with complete confidence. Use it anytime
you have a (slightly) enlarged screwhole to fix; Flange screws, keycover
screws, cheekblock screws, ... even door hinges can be fixed with panache &
style. Try it, it works.
As the screw turns into the leather, it forces the leather tight against
the inside of the hole, and pushes the screw into the wood on the opposite
side. The threads actually burnish the leather, and form threads on it's
surface, while the screw has a fresh bite on the wood opposing it. I have
NEVER had this repair fail on flange screws.
The critical factor here is the thickness and width of the leather you
are using. I toddled off to a boot-repair shop and gathered several scraps of
leather, various thicknesses, for this repair technique. A flange screw needs
a thin leather for the repair, while a lyre screw wants a thicker piece. Note
that I said; "Half the DIAMETER of the screwthreads... not half the width.
The leather should not cover more than 1/2 the screwhole when complete, and
usually only covers a third or less. Scraps of leather that have been skived
(scived? scriven?) are tapered from thin to thick, and give you the best
choice for each repair (rather like the tapered hunks of hammer felt we get
in a "scrap" collection from the suppliers). Applying this repair becomes
almost automatic. With several holes to repair, you simply cut several
identical pieces and do all operations in an 'assembly-line' style.
Regards,
Jeffrey T. Hickey, RPT
Oregon Coast Piano Services
TunerJeff @ aol.com
ps-
The tech who gave this tip (...cannot remember his name! My apologies.)
said that this was used at the Steinway factory, even on "new" pianos, and
was an accepted field repair for all Steinway products. Whether this is still
true... I don't know... but consider this; Steinway's action rail is a dowel
covered by LEATHER and wrapped in metal.
Amazing, huh?
Just don't bother to try this on a screwhole where the screw falls out of
(...or into) the screwhole. There won't be enough wood to hold the screw, and
leather is NOT a substitute for a solid wooden base. Notice that I said this
repair had never failed on a flange screw... it HAS failed when I attempted
to repair truly horrendous lyre screw holes (... but I didn't follow the
directions, now did I?), in such cases; Drill & dowel me buckos!
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC