cleaning balance rail pins &

[Ron Nossaman]

>Gulbransen Upright circa 1922. Front rail and balance rail pins are fairly 
>rusty. Is there a quick way to clean them,  kind of  in the same way as 
>the tuning pin cleaner thingees you put on the end of a drill? I assume 
>those would be a bit too large for this job? I hope there is a faster 
>alternative to cleaning them INDIVIDUALLY, by hand! Customer is at his 
>monetary limit for repairs to the action, so replacing them is NOT an option.
>Thanks for your wisdom.
>
>
>Terry Peterson

Isaac's right. Replace them and just eat the job if it isn't being paid 
for. You'll very possibly spend more time doing a poor job of cleaning than 
you would replacing them. A slide hammer works quite well to get them out. 
As far as enlarging the holes (other Terry), you can't expect to pull a 2/0 
tuning pin and replace it with 2/0, so how can you expect to pull a rusty 
old key pin and get a nice drive fit when you replace it with a new one 
that likely isn't exactly the same size anyway? Just whack the suckers out 
with reasonable care, sand the rail, and shim and glue size the holes as 
(if) necessary for the replacements.

Complications are == non-"standard" sizes, and/or center rail pins so wooly 
that you destroy the key balance hole and bushing getting the key off of 
the pin. I'd say if you are bushing the keys and making necessary repairs, 
replace the pins and do what is necessary to make it work. If you aren't 
bushing the keys, leave them alone - rust and all.

Ron N