Decapping the bridge

[Will Truitt]

I have not tried JD's method on removing bridge caps yet (although I most
definitely will on my next opportunity!), but I may have a little something
to add here.  Recently I was removing both bridges from the panel of a Mason
& Hamlin A, and did so in a very similar fashion.  I used the thin knife to
get it started, worked it along, added thicker wedges a little further out
to add stress to the joint as I worked the alcohol in (you can hear the kk,
kk, kk, as the glue lets go.)  As I got further along, I was then taking a
rubber mallot and gently working my way up in force of impact as I tapped
down on the bridge top on the side that was lifted away.  This helped to
further break the glue joint.  I was surprised how cleanly I got the bridge
off, even with the soft spruce of the panel.  Very little tearout.  Since we
are talking about breaking a maple to maple glue joint in this thread, I am
going to surmise that this added touch with the mallet would perhaps work
very well.  

Let me add another question - are you lads and lassies plugging the old
bridge pin holes left in the root, or leaving them?  Particularly where you
are leaving so much of the root, that would seem to be an important question
here.

Will Truitt

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Love
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2008 3:16 PM
To: 'Pianotech List'
Subject: Re: Decapping the bridge

JDs method of removing the cap whole is pretty nice and fairly simple.  You
can see from the photos attached I have removed the bass cap and am in the
process of starting the long bridge.  The bass cap took about 15 minutes.
Getting the cap off in one piece after premeasuring the bearing and
calculating any necessary changes certainly makes it a lot easier to pre
shape and set the proper thickness of the new caps before gluing them on.
Thanks JD for the suggestion.  Learn something new everyday (hopefully).
Thanks all for the router skid suggestions as well.  There is certainly an
appropriate use for that procedure as well.  

David Love