Brass Rail Clips? On Lyon and Healy Upright?

[John Ross]

Hi Bill,
Have you tried the repair flange #517 in the Schaff catalogue, page 99.
It appears that all you do is cut out the bad section of rail, and
substitute
however many of these you need.
For the rail parts that are still good, I was at a class in Dearborn, where
the rail was heated (annealed) to make it flexible again. I can't remember
the temperature it had to be raised to. Maybe someone else on the list
 has the particulars.
Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada.

----- Original Message -----
From: <BSimon999@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 11:49 AM
Subject: Brass Rail Clips? On Lyon and Healy Upright?


> I am looking for some advice on solving a problem.
>
> A very nice poverty struck customer who with best intentions bought a 1908
> Lyon and Healy upright for a hundred dollars, "for the kid to earn on".
>
> I was called to tune it after the first 5 brass rail tabs broke off. The
> action is the problem, the rest of the piano is remarkably good. Brass
rail
> clips do not work well on this particular piano's brass rail geometry,
> raising the hammer butt over an eight of an inch. No normal repair flanges
> fit to the screw hole and centerpin line. I have been removing the section
of
> brass rail of just a particular note and using Billings flanges beaten
flat
> to repair it, but it is a clunky repair and is not that easy to do.
>
> Has anyone successfully  dealt with a Lyon and Healy having this problem?
> (Out of curiosity only, is there a good source for brass rail clips? )
>
> Has anyone ever removed the brass rail completely and replaced it with
wood
> flanges.
> If you did, what kind of time did it take? A certain amount of Pro Bono
work
> is usual for me,  but this one could get out of hand in a blink. My
> preference is to find a physical solution for the action problem and show
the
> fellow how to do it himself, for he is very handy.
>
> Any advice? I hate for the piano to be lost for want of a flange solution.
>
> Thank You,
> Bill Simon