Oddball Agraffes

[Ron Torrella]

While digging around for a recent article on keybaord releading (...and
still looking, hint, hint!), I happened across a Q&A/Editor's Roundtable
in the Nov.'98 Journal wherein Mike Masters (Cleveland) was asking about a
1924 Knabe's agraffe size. I'm in the middle of a rebuilding battle with a
1924-5 Chickering grand whose agraffes I decided were due for replacement.
As Masters similarly discovered, modern production agraffes didn't want to
in my patient despite appearing to have the same thread pattern and shank
size! If memory serves, I believe the agraffes were ever-so-slightly
*smaller* than the 7/32" model. Oy.

However, much to my amazement, I discovered that I was able to ream out
the holes with a proper 7/32" tap! The new agraffes went in without a
hitch.

On reflection, I believe the reason for the odd size may be because the
bits and tap that the manufacturer was using may have been reduced over
time by use - that is, it may have been cheaper for the manufacturer to
simply sharpen and reuse their bits and taps. Sharpening would mean
removing material, hence the reduced diameter. The threads would remain
more or less intact.

Pure speculation. But it makes sense to me.

Ron Torrella, RPT
Piano Technician
University of Michigan		   "Dese are de conditions dat prevail."
School of Music						--Jimmy Durante
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