Plastic elbows - technical tip

[BSimon999@AOL.COM]

Jim Harvey, harvey@greenwood.net writes:

<< I came up with a method I came up with a method that focused on 
efficiently replacing plastic elbows with new wooden elbows, new wire and 
buttons....My procedure is not "plug and play"...it incorporates ..sizing the 
pinning on the new elbows for consistency of function and touch weight. 
...This procedure is a shop job, but only because it's more efficient and 
comfortable that way. >>

Although I do not use wood elbows, a fine repair, I have found it useful to 
"prepare" new sets of Vagias elbows for use, in the shop ahead of time.  The 
amount of felt sticking out each side of the bird's eye, and sticking out the 
slot varies a lot throughout a set of elbows. I take a new elbow,  stick a 
round toothpick into the bird's eye, and with a single edged razor blade cut 
around the toothpick on both sides, cutting the excess felt off the sides. 
This gives a better result than just trying to cut with the razor blade 
across the surface of the empty eye. Leaving  the toothpick in place, I then 
run the blade directly into the slot and cut off the excess felt in the slot 
and remove it. You get just a pinch or two of cuttings from a set, but there 
is no excess felt to drag on the sides and create friction, and there is 
always a positive "click" when the snaps on. The toothpick also "irons" the 
felt in the hole and all the elbows are free and of uniform tightness. I 
final check each elbow with a trial snap-on to test the seating of the eye, 
using  a #18 centerpin held in a Vice-Grip. Some elbows fail completely due 
to  manufacturing defects and get thrown away.  The result is no trouble or 
failures on the job, or when the work is completed.  Time invested -- 15 
minutes a set???

(p.s. - I recently saw a piano in which two of the old pink Vagias elbows 
were actually broken. The "upper jaw"above the groove was broken up and off,  
as from an incredibly hard blow. The broken piece was  held  by the glued 
felt in the eye.  I had never seen a broken replacement before.  I never 
expect to see failures in the clear polycarbonate elbows. I think they are 
substantially stronger than the old pink ones.)

An actual  Technical Tip!       Like a breath of fresh air, no?

Bill Simon
Phoenix