Ron: If you ever decide to buy a Buchmaster, let me know. I have one that I used once (one bushing, not one key set) and I'd make you a deal on it. dave __________________________________________ David M. Porritt, RPT Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 dporritt@mail.smu.edu ----- Original message ----------------------------------------> From: Ron Nossaman <rnossaman@cox.net> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org> Received: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 11:49:40 -0600 Subject: RE: making key bushing cauls >>I'd like to see a side-by-side trial of the "Bushmaster" method and the >>Spurlock system. I use the Spurlock system and love it, but I have never >>tried the other. Anyone used both? Opinions? I recall can't imagine anything >>slicker than the Spurlock system. >> >>Terry Farrell >> >>I've used both and have come up with a hybrid system: I use the Spurlock >>system with hot hide glue, but with brass cauls. The thickest brass caul is >>used to hold the first bushing in place, the required size is used for the >>other side. Then I place a clothes iron (set on cotton) on top of the final >>cauls. This reactivates the hide glue, sizes the bushing hole in the key >>and sets the cloth bushing to the caul. Let stand over night. The key hole >>sizing step is eliminated, as well as any easing. Steaming the old bushings >>out will also size the balance rail. >> >>Paul C >In the late 70's, I made a tool that works somewhat like the Bushmaster, >copied from an existing tool someone had that originally came from who >knows where. Both of these tools lacked a means of indexing the depth of >the cloth, so my copy didn't work too well. For years, I used hide glue, >cauls, and two pieces of appropriate thickness cloth, inserted into the >mortise, caul inserted, and trimmed flush with the caul with a knife. This >worked, ok, with near zero waste of bushing cloth, but was hard to gage the >depth of the bushing in the mortise. Lately, I've used my old homemade >tool, re-modified with ears to index the cloth to proper depth (like the >Bushmaster). It's quick and wastes three times as much bushing cloth as is >glued in the keys. Unnecessary waste offends me, but the uniformity of the >job is just what I was after, so that's where I currently am. >I suppose if I did key bushings on a weekly basis I might be doing it >differently, since it always seems to take me half a set to get comfortable >with it and in rhythm, this is easy and mindless enough a system for me to >run it. When I get tired of looking at my funky little tool, or it finally >falls apart and dies, I'll probably buy a Bushmaster. >So how do you Spurlock method bushers index cloth depth, and are you happy >with the result? >Ron N >_______________________________________________ >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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