grand pedal lyre

[Ron Nossaman]

At 05:50 PM 3/17/99 -0700, you wrote:
>I would appreciate suggestion concerning the pedal lyre on a Howard grand.
>Made by Kawai for Baldwin.
>
>The two  vertical stems (props? ) are both loose in the top  & bottom
>horizontal pieces.  They have separated about 1 inch. What is the procedure
>for repair?   Just knock them completely apart, glue all surfaces, and
>clamp?
>
>It appears there are wedges at the ends of the vertical stems.  Are these
>glued in?  How does one remove them to reglue?  On the inner surfaces that I
>can see, it doesn't look like there was ever any glue on them.  Are only the
>wedge surfaces supposed to be glued?
>
>Thank you.
>
>dcp@sosinc.net
>Don Price
>816 Vickie
>Ft. Morgan  CO 80701
>
>
>

Hi Don,
Roger Jolly's suggestion works just fine, as does Jim Harvey's. Another
alternative involves drilling a couple of 7/32" holes at the juncture of the
lyre posts and the top block, about 3/4 of the way through the top block.
Then fill the hole with Titebond and drive a hammer shank into the hole. You
get a nice hydraulic ram effect that will force glue through the joint and
out the bottom, where it will run down the posts and give you something to
mop up when you're done. Do the same from the bottom. I will usually then
drive a couple of drywall screws in the joint, down the glue line, in each
post, top and bottom, to discourage movement between the participating parts
and reinforce the joint. I happen to like mechanical fasteners in addition
to glue wherever possible. This is the kind of repeat business I'd rather
not see. The benefits of the method are that it's quick, doesn't stink,
gives you a semi-legitimate use of those upright shanks that have too
aberrant a grain angle to use in a piano, you get to whack something with a
hammer (which can't be all bad), it is done on site, with minimum equipment
and pathos, and you can be easily observed by the powers of administration
and funds management in the act of driving screws - thus proving to all and
sundry that the cost is justified and the fix is made. It also works pretty
well.

 
 Ron