Slotted Wood Screws

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "gordon stelter" <lclgcnp@yahoo.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2004 6:35 PM
Subject: Re: Slotted Wood Screws


> Not only are 99% of all screws today "Phillips", but
> almost all are of deplorably cheap "quality", being
> stamped from light, soft metal, instead of being
> turned from good steel on a lathe, as the old screws
> were.
>     New screws will snap off at much less torque than
> the old ones.

    I agree.  Started happening in the 70's, if not before.  Not only will
the Taiwan/Pakistan/India/wherever junk snap off easier, the slots or
Phillips "crosses" round-out, or "strip" easier.  I unscrewed some caster
screws on a Kawai studio and almost all the Phillips "slots" rounded out
because the screws were in so tight.  They were designed to be driven in
once, never to be removed or re-used.
    I noticed in the late 70's that Asian, and some American piano makers
started using "drywall" screws (the trumpet-head, sharp-threaded screws now
commonly used for almost everything) in key blocks, key-stop rails, case
parts, etc., instead of the traditional wood screws.  I imagine most of them
are driven in with power drivers, with no thought that someday a technician
might have to remove them for this reason or that.  Sometimes they were so
tight it was all I could do to unscrew them by hand, usually with some
wrist/joint damage involved.  Also some are buried so deep, with no
countersink for the heads, that the veneer chips off when you back them out.

>      I keep screws from pianos that are "too far
> gone", and clean up rusty ones on a  wire wheel, or in
> a quick bath of muriatic acid followed by a thorough
> rinse.  They are then dried in a metal colander
> sitting on a hot plate ( on "Warm" ), then dumped into
> a bucket and hit with a little engine foigging oil

    "engine foigging oil" ???  Haven't foigged my engine lately.

to
> prevent surface rust from re-forming, and covered with
> a  snap on lid.
>     If anyone has a better method of salvaging and
> storing old screws, do please share it.
>      Thanks!
>      Thump

    Your method sounds great, maybe even overkill.
>
> --- Hechler Family <dahechler@charter.net> wrote:
> > If you haven't already, start saving all slot head
> > wood screws !!!
> > Since I needed slot head wood screws to work on my
> > player piano, I went
> > to my local hardware store to buy some. Much to my
> > surprise, 99% of what
> > I saw were Phillips head screws. I cornered a guy
> > and he told me that
> > flat head screws are passe' and getting are to find.
> > Everything is going
> > to Phillips, Square or Torcs (star) head.

    It's Torx


So, "to
> > keep from getting
> > screwed" ;-) , save those screws !!
 > > Duaine Hechler

    I agree.  And whenever you send an old piano to piano heaven, also keep
any oddball hardware such as trapwork hardware, damper-lifter rod hangers,
pedal rod guide eye-screws, latches, etc.  I'm sure less and less of this
stuff will be manufactured as Asian hardware becomes the norm.
        --David Nereson, RPT