Bridle Straps

[Paul Chick (Earthlink)]

Subject: Re: Bridle Straps

 

What is everyone's experience with cork vs. clip vs. regular bridle straps??

 

Thanks Tom!

Matthew

Tom Sivak <tvaktvak at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Matt

 

I tried using glue once, but it was a PITYKW.  (pain in the you-know-what)

 

I always use the cork-tipped bridle straps when I can.  There's a hole in
the catcher that the cork just fits into.  (You can buy large, medium, and
small corks)  I just did a set of bridle straps last week; it took me 45
minutes.  There's a cork bridle strap inserter tool, which is just like a
stick with a pin in the end.  You stick the pin in the cork, and use it to
push the cork into the hole in the catcher.

 

Some pianos don't have this convenient little hole to stick the cork-tipped
bridle strap into.  On those occasions, I use the bridle straps with a
little metal clip on the end.  These can be snapped onto the catcher dowel,
or whatever it's called, the dowel that the catcher is connected to the
hammer butt with.  These take a little longer to install, but either way is
preferrable to using glue.  

 

Tom Sivak

Chicago

 
Matthew Todd <toddpianoworks at yahoo.com> wrote:

Okay, I have officially done my first bridle strap replacement on my piano.
I need to know how to control the glue!  I will say that it was far from the
neatest job!  Plus, (don't laugh), I removed all the whippens and the letoff
rail before I started.  I was just getting really frustrated with moving in
between all the parts.  So I am wondering what kind of techniques you all
use.  In the "Repair Labor Guide, the job takes 1.5 hrs.  It took me a
combined total of 5 hrs.  So, maybe removing all the whippens didn't teach
me much, I don't know.  Any help here would be cherished!

Matthew

 I've never had to remove the wippens to install bridle tapes. For cork
tapes: sharpen a hammer shank like a pencil; put a puddle of PVC-E glue on a
convenient surface; place your free hand on a group of hammers and move them
forward; dip the point of the shank in the glue and place the small drop of
glue in the bottom of the hole; insert the cork for those hammers, and
repeat the process until finished.  Let the glue dry for a couple of hours
and hook up the tapes.  It takes less than an hour to do the whole job.

 

I commend you on your willingness to try.  List members are willing to help
when you ask.

 

Paul C

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