2 Unusual Happenings

[Sy Zabrocki]

Last Saturday I was tuning along in my shop when MY TUNING HAMMER BROKE.
The extension shaft broke right at the threads where it screws into the
lever head.

Then on Tuesday, three days later, I was tuning with another hammer when the
NO. 2 STAR TIP BROKE IN TWO. One half flaked off and other half popped off
 the threads when I pushed on it with my finger. I couldn't believe it.

It's probably unlikely that either of these tools would break in a lifetime.
What are
the odds that both would break for one person in a three day period. I
wondered
if it was some mystic message for me. Maybe I should stay home for few days.

This Hale rosewood tuning hammer was given to me in 1970 after another tuner
had died. So I've used it or 32 years and I don't know how long he used it.
I can only guess it broke because of "metal fatigue".

I'm estimating this hammer visited probably 7 or 8 million pins and then
this one
pin on a Kimball blew it away. It's like it had a heart attack and died.

Just when you think you've seen it all . . . you haven't.

Sy Zabrocki--RPT
Billings, MT