Action Rail Screws

[Ron Nossaman]

> You should always put the SAME screw back into the SAME hole in an action
> frame, e.g.
> 
> I've heard this a number of times, a couple times very recently, and I'm
> wondering if anyone can offer a real reason that it is true.

Theoretically, at least in Steinways, you should put the screw 
back in the same hole. The reasons for doing this in Steinways 
are few but real. You should be able to expect that if you 
find a socket that will fit one of the plate lags, it ought to 
fit the rest, yes? In the old, and not that old Steinways, 
they are all sorts of sizes. They apparently get their action 
screws from the same source (or made them themselves), because 
they are all sorts of sizes too. The action rails, meanwhile, 
are so minimal and easily damaged, that when you find a small 
hole with a large screw, you risk damaging the rail, or a 
small screw in a large hole will likely strip out. You'll find 
similar stuff in other pianos, but a big flat wooden rail is 
harder to hurt. Your best bet might be to throw all the screws 
out and replace them with new and hopefully (uh huh, right) 
more uniformly sized screws. Or just mix them up and be 
prepared to swap the occasional screw that seems to be too 
tight or loose as you reassemble. Or you can keep them in 
order and discover that the last guy didn't bother, and it 
makes no difference what you do. It's just another of those 
fun things about action work.

Enjoy,
Ron N