[pianotech] screwed but good

[Ron Nossaman]

> Any suggestions?  I'd hate to have to tell the client I
> couldn't fix the problem because I couldn't get the pedal
> box open.  He might kick sand in my face.
> 
> Weakly,
> 
> Tom Sivak Chicago

Tom,
These things were never intended to be taken apart, obviously.

So much for the rational portion of the program. Now the 
reality part. Kimball was an undisputed (by me, anyway) master 
of the one way screw. Their case assembly troglodyte(s) with 
high speed power drivers would spin a Phillips bit in a screw 
head until no vestige of Phillips shaped recess remained in 
the screw head- just a nominally conical crater. The 
combination of no way to get a screwdriver to bite in the 
screw head, and the (I swear (or did)), lack of pilot hole in 
the original assembly meant these screws were likely in place 
forever. Most times, it was duckable, except those cheek block 
and key slip screws that had to come out to pull actions.

Heat, with a soldering iron (though a torch is VERY tempting), 
sometimes works, and is always the first attempt. You have to 
not only be willing to get lucky, but give the thing every 
chance to indulge you.

Drilling off the head, removing the part, and attacking the 
stubs with a Vise-Grip is also an (albeit ugly) option, and 
often the only one when getting lucky didn't happen.

You said these screws were into metal? As in machine screws? 
That complicates things if the screws are holding a wooden 
part to a metal part. You can't get a penetrating oil to the 
metal/screw interface without soaking the wooden part, if at 
all. You may be standing in front of door number 2, involving 
drilling off the screw heads to remove the bottom plate to 
allow access to the machine screw stubs for application of 
penetrating oil and (definitely) torch heating, the better to 
Vise-Grip the suckers out. Don't force the stubs or you'll 
find yourself looking at what used to be stubs that are now 
broken off flush (thereabouts)  with the surface, and you're 
back to the drill. This is the REALLY ugly portion of the 
program, where we'd rather not go.

I'll stop here and hope for the best.

Luck,
Ron N