Old Hamilton studio bridge cracks

[Dan Eumurian]

List,

I'm not picking on anybody, but I've run across four Hamilton studios
dating back a couple of decades or so with wedge cracks throughout the
long bridge, and buzzing strings. None of the four had Dampp-Chaser
systems when I first saw them, although I installed a system in one of
the three, which was in a church.

In the church piano and in one of the home pianos, I lowered tension,
repositioned stagger pins, treated with CA glue, raised pitch after a
few days, and tuned, but in both cases the problem came back. 

I didn't know at the time about using tape to cover the center of the
bridge, so I got some glue on it, which I tried to clean off. Is it my
technique, or was there a period of time when this problem was common?
Should I recap, replace, or advise the church to look for a different
instrument? Thanks for any ideas.

Dan Eumurian, RPT
1634 Barlow St.
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 788-8637
hope4you@centuryinter.net