[pianotech] screwed but good---the ironic fix

Tom Sivak tvaktvak at sbcglobal.net
Sat Jan 10 05:47:08 PST 2009


List

First of all, thanks to everyone who responded with great suggestions.  I even got a phone call from a fellow chapter member with a great tip, just as I was leaving yesterday AM.

The irony of this situation is that once I did get the pedal box open to see why the pedal was wobbly, I found that the problem was a loose screw!  Yes, the wonderful people at Sejung (whom I believe are the manufacturers of this Wurlitzer) tightened the exterior screws so well that "it takes a village" to get them unscrewed, only to reveal that the screw holding the pedal in place was loose.  At least the client didn't need to buy any hardware for the fix.

I didn't have time to buy the impact screwdriver; I did try heat, as was suggested; I did try Prokek, another suggestion; but really, it was the phone call from Mike Kurta yesterday that led me to the solution.

He mentioned that he used to be a car mechanic and that they had this problem all the time.  He recommended tapping the screws with a blunt metal punch, to "loosen the bond".  Whereas this didn't work, it did lead me to my local mechanic's shop.

Two Vietnamese brothers own this repair shop down the street, and we've gotten very close, due to my owning two cars with over 100K on each of them.  I love these guys.  They're reasonably priced, and always fit me in to their schedule when I bring in one of the cars.

I brought the pedal box over, put it on the counter and said, "Ten bucks if you can get these five screws unscrewed.  Trung (the older bro) went into the shop and came out with a screwdriver with a hex shaft, and attached a wrench to it and I held the box while he loosened the screws.  

I gave him ten bucks.  He tried to refuse it.  "You are good customer.  No money."  I made him take it.  It was worth it.  (Yeah, I tacked the ten bucks onto the bill.)

And thanks to you all.  Once again, this list is the "Go To" place when you are stuck and you need answers fast.  I learned a lot about overly tight screws, even if none of the suggestions actually led to a solution in this case.  I am more prepared for the next time.

I wish you all a prosperous New Year!

Tom Sivak
Chicago



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