Billings Flanges = Brass Rail

[Farrell]

Clyde wrote:

"...and I had to keep doing callbacks to space the hammer because it would hang up on a neighbor.  I hate doing any kind of work that I can't guarantee."

Me too. But...........

One thing I have done with clients is to clearly explain that some solutions to a problem may have a guarantee, and some may not. Take a loose tuning pin for example. I will tell the piano owner that the proper fix is a new pinblock. I would fully guarantee a new pinblock installation. If they don't want to spend $2,500, there are other options - oversize tuning pin, sandpaper shims, CA, tapping pins, etc. - but these other approaches are band-aid-type solutions, some of which MAY have lasting beneficial effects, some may NOT, depending on this and that and planetary alignment, etc. AND they do not carry a guarantee!

So far I have not been burned. And no, I have not put all that in writing. Yes, I do realize that someone along the way is bound to tell me that I said that tapping that tuning pin down would make my 1935 Aeolian microgrand into a Fazioli........ But I think at least this approach helps to clarify expectations for most folks. If you don't explain that a new block is the correct fix, they might otherwise think that tapping the pin is the best industry-recognized solution for a loose tuning pin.

In the case of the brass rail, the correct fix is a new rail or conversion to wooden flanges. Other solutions are band-aids and carry no guarantee. Clearly though, these other solutions MAY be more cost-effective.

FWIW.

Terry Farrell
  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clyde Hollinger" <cedel@supernet.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: Billings Flanges = Brass Rail


> Keith and all,
> 
> Well, I guess what I meant is that in the repairs I did using brass rail
> repair clips, the permanence of the repair was unpredictable,
> particularly when there wasn't much of a stub left to work with.  And
> there is the possibility that I didn't do it right.  These clips come
> with no instructions, but the hammer wouldn't stay put, and I had to keep
> doing callbacks to space the hammer because it would hang up on a
> neighbor.  I hate doing any kind of work that I can't guarantee.
> 
> Another factor to consider is this.  If one brass rail tooth breaks, how
> long will it be until another one goes?  My opinion is to either fix the
> problem correctly with a whole new rail (and I agree there may be a few
> pianos where this is reasonable), or ditch the piano.  Unfortunately, my
> opinions are not always smart, although I like to think they are. <G>
> 
> Regards,
> Clyde
> 
> Keith McGavern wrote:
> 
> > At 8:48 PM -0400 6/2/03, Clyde Hollinger wrote:
> > >I agree with Terry.  These cheap repairs sometimes work and
> > >sometimes they don't. ...
> >
> > Clyde,
> >
> > I'm certain you mean well, but these repairs are far from cheap, as I
> > am interpreting your connotation to mean "of decidedly inferior
> > quality", which they aren't, and not cheap as in "low in price",
> > which they are.
> >
> > When performed correctly, these inexpensive repair items work just
> > fine and do offer the chance to save an instrument from being
> > discarded, as you have suggested to Terry F. these people do by
> > replacing their current piano with another.
> >
> > The repair type brass devices are ingenious in their purpose and
> > design, and are invaluable in the piano service repair business when
> > needed.
> >
> > Please know that there can come a time when there are more of the
> > flanges to repair than might be deemed reasonable or cost efficient,
> > but that time becomes a judgement factor for the piano technician
> > and/or customer to make.
> >
> > A fellow named Earl Penisten, my Dad, Clair McGavern and I have taken
> > care of a one hundred year old Packard Upright for four decades of
> > its life that is in exquisite shape for its age, and it is definitely
> > worth repairing with the brass repair parts when that time comes. The
> > customer, deceased as of 2001, bought the piano directly from Packard
> > in 1905. I have yet to learn of its new whereabouts.
> >
> > Keith McGavern
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives