Tight Grommets

[Mike and Jane Spalding]

List,

Tuned an old spinet the other day, which also needed lost motion regulation.  But the grommets would not turn on the wire.  As I twisted harder, the grommet began to crack and tear.  I stopped before I broke any (first do no harm).  Yes, I have a set of replacement grommets, in the big box in the van right next to the clip-on elbows.  But 4 hours labor just to get rid of a little lost motion seems like a big investment to a spinet-owner.  Question is, do I have to replace these grommets, or is there some way to lubricate them and break them loose from the wire so they can be adjusted without self-destructing?  I should also mention that the stamped steel forks in the key ends have a fair amount of rust, and the grommets are probably well bonded to the forks as well as the wires.  I squirted a little Protek on a couple of them, but it didn't appear to help.

Any idea, no matter how wild, would be welcome.

thanks,

Mike Spalding, RPT