Mystery part

[Ron Nossaman]

>   Dave
>   Ok ok... I cranked down the front 2 nose bolts as far as I could & it 
>  still required the back of the plate coming waaaaaaay up first to 
> extricate it. Scary. Nothing broke. Nothing bent. WHew.
>     I'm going to remove the piece of stretcher lip that was hangin over 
> the front of the plate  & install a long wooden filler piece with screws 
> once the plate goes back in. What were they thinking..  Thanks me later?
>  Dale

I have one torn down in the shop right now. I cut the overhang 
off the spreader before pulling the plate, and will replace it 
with a screwed on (up?) strip. What were they thinking? They 
were thinking that the plate was already on the inner rim and 
strung before the outer rim went on, and I seriously doubt 
that any piano prior to Baldwin, who had (has?) complete 
replacement soundboard assemblies on their price list, ever 
considered the possibility of rebuilding during the design phase.

The mystery part has a hole and mortise in it in this piano 
too, and is used as a hammer rail lift lever mount for the 
Ampico "A" player.
Ron N