My First Agraffe Repair

[Ron Nossaman]

> What worries me the most is how to decide whether to put one more 
> half-turn into the agraffe.  I don’t want to leave the agraffe too 
> loose, and I don’t want to tighten it so tight that I break it off.  
> Ideally, I would like a torque spec so I could use a torque wrench to 
> help me make the decision.  If the agraffe is pointing in the right 
> direction, but the torque is less than X ft-lb, then I will go for 
> another half-turn.  Can anyone tell me what ft-lb limit I should use?  I 
> guess most of you who do this a lot develop a feel for how tight is 
> enough, but I  need to get it right the first time.
> 
> In addition, I also wonder how one goes about centering the drill for 
> the easy-out on the remains of the old agraffe so that threads in the 
> plate are not damaged.  Should I expect to mess them up and just commit 
> to going up from the current 7/32" size to the 1/4" size agraffe by 
> re-tapping the plate?  And even if I don’t mess up the threads, it is 
> usual to run a tap through them anyway just to clean them up before the 
> new agraffe is installed?
> 
> Finally, I managed to remove the old bass strings without cutting them 
> by straightening them just enough to slide through the old agraffe, so 
> that maybe I could re-use the old bass strings.  Is that a reasonable 
> expectation?
> 
> Robert Scott
> Ypsilanti, Michigan

Hi Bob,
Center punching before drilling will control where the drill goes. 
An easy out or a sheetrock screw ground to a three cornered point 
should work to get the old shank out, assuming you chose the drill 
bit diameter to accommodate the removal method of choice. Anything 
between 45° and 90° past snug should be more than adequate for 
seating torque with the new agraffe. There isn't really a torque 
specification that I'm aware of. It's a matter of lunging on it 
until it breaks, then backing off a bit... The undercut shoulder on 
the modern agraffe replacements is tantamount to a get out of jail 
free card. It's pretty hard to screw up. As mentioned, you'll 
probably lose the becket on the string, but it's only going to be 
about a quarter turn on the pin, so it doesn't qualify as tragic. 
The important part is to impart the impression that you have 
everything under control to any casual passers by - which (whether 
it is apparent to you or not) you adequately do. Proceed 
confidently, smile knowingly, and bill accordingly.

Ron N