Tech hints

[Vanderhoofven]

Greetings!

Here are a few helpful hints:

1.  When replacing a broken upright hammer shank, many of us probably try to
extract the broken off shank stub instead of redrilling the hole (and
possibly getting the angle wrong).  I followed the instructions that Fern
Henry and Bill Spurlock have written in the PTG Technical Exam Source Book,
involving drilling a hole down the center of the shank stub, soaking the
shank with a wetting solution, and then using a 1 1/2" drywall screw to
extract the broken off shank.

Unfortunately, I kept losing the screw that makes the system work so well.
Finally, I bought more screws, and I found that the screw is the right size
to fit securely inside the upright hammer shank clamp.  So now as long as I
know where the clamp is, I can always find the screw that goes with it!

2.  I have found it helpful to keep a set of road maps in my vehicle.  These
come in quite handy when looking for a house that is out in the country or
in an unfamiliar section of town.  It sure beats driving around lost and
finally stopping at a gas station to ask directions!  I would suggest a
state map of each state you work in, a city map for the towns that you
service, and perhaps a county map for each of the counties nearby.

3.  Following the suggestions of several of you on the list, I ventured out
into using hot hide glue.  From Walmart I got a Rival Hot Pot Express for
about $10.00 or $12.00, and I mix the hide glue in a small glass jar with a
lid (so that the glue is in a sort of double boiler).  The hot pot has an
adjustable control on the side to adjust the temperature.  Unfortunately,
the knob has no marking on it to indicate the temperature of the contents of
the pot.  I had used a long glass laboratory thermometer to measure the
temperature of the water, but I still was having trouble with the glue
jelling up too soon on the wood or cloth.

A friend of mine who has a real glue pot from Schaff had been having trouble
with the temperature control of his older glue pot.  He had to measure the
temperature of the glue many times to get the temperature calibrated
correctly.  He eventually got a thermometer of the sort that cooks and
restaurant managers and city health inspectors carry.  The thermometer has a
metal spike about 5 or 6 inches long that is attached to a round dial
indicator with a needle to show the temperature.  Following his lead, I
purchased one of these thermometers for under $6.00 from a local restaurant
supply store.  I drilled the appropriate size hole for the shaft of the
thermometer in a small piece of poplar.  Now the wood spans the sides of the
hot pot and the  thermometer can hang down into the glue pot.  This way I
can check the temperature of the glue more precisely.

I have found that the temperature of the water surrounding the glass jar
containing the glue is NOT the temperature of the glue itself.  Even if the
water is between 135 and 145 Fahrenheit, the glue only gets to about 120
Fahrenheit.  That is why I was having trouble with the hot hide glue,
because the glue was not getting hot enough!  Of course, when finances
permit, I intend to get a real glue pot, then I won't have to mess with all
of this!

I hope these hints help you.  If not, there is always the delete button!

Sincerely,
David



David A. Vanderhoofven       Associate Member, PTG
Joplin, Missouri, USA        e-mail:  dkvander@clandjop.com

web page:  http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/
#pianotech page:  http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/ircpiano.html
Feb. 15 piano seminar: http://www.clandjop.com/~dkvander/seminar.html