jpiesik@arinc.com wrote: > > List, > > What's a good piano lock for institutional pianos? > Is the Jaras fallboard lock any good? > > Many thanks once again!! > > John Piesik, RPT John, I've been using APSCO'S strap steel lock with the canvas covering. The monsters do bend them occasionally, but a good whack with a rubber hammer will fix it. I was able to design a (so far) loss proof modification that keeps the clamp with the piano. I drill a quarter-inch hole in the clamp just past the slot that receives the lock eye and have a welder attach a two-foot length of light chain, and then I screw the other end of the chain just behind the nearest leg. When they remove the clamp, they have two choices; the lid of the piano or the floor. On performance pianos, I screw in 3" L screws under the keybed to hold the clamp up snug and mostly out of sight. I have nine out there still (as far as I know) doing their job! My welder gives me a discount if he does 5-10 at a time. One of the problems with all these locks, is that they have to be used only with fallboards that are flat. The sloped falls, like those on Baldwin studios and some of their consoles, don't fit closely enough to prevent opening by a determined miscreant. If you get a package of hardwood wedges (available at all hardware stores) usually two glued and braded under the keybed will change the angle enough to make the clamp snug on top of the fallboard. Have fun! Warren -- Warren D. Fisher fish@communique.net Registered Piano Technician Piano Technicians Guild New Orleans Chapter 701
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