Matthew, Conrad is right on the money with his reply. I will add that these screws are about 5" long and one is a different length than the others.As Conrad has said keep the spacers and the screws in order. The breakage issue is a facter. If the heads are silver colored there is less to worry about. The screws more likely to break have a "Blued" look similar to a tuning pin. When I give a proposal for any procedure that requires action removal on these things I first back all four screws part way out . If the screw twists back when you release the pressure on the screw driver and the thing feels like silly putty that's the warning sign. We have scads of these here in the North East and as Conrad has mentioned a screw can break, but in my experience this is still a rare occurance. The other factor although unrelated is that most of these have rubber grommets that fit into the fork at the back of the key. They are often petrified or at least on the way and can be noisy before you touch them and worse after. They are cheap and easy to replace. I carry a few in my kit to demonstrate to the client . I would plan on replacement . As to the broken screw and it's removal and subsequent replacement you can cut a slot with a small cold chisel and back the thing out or use an easy out . Despite the fact that the screw broke the remaining section is generally not frozen in the block and will come out without much trouble. You will not find this length roundhead screw in the hardware store . I use 1/4" lag screws which are the same diameter and are available at the aforementioned hardware store in the lengths that you need , Cut a slot in the head with a hacksaw for your screw driver and problem solved. If you are reusing the original screws put a little VJ on the threads and turn the screw anti-clockwise until you hear-feel that click before turning them in. Lots -o -fun. Tom Driscoll P.S. Check for loose tuning pins in the bass. Up here the non-bass pins can be just fine and the bass sometimes too loose. Also make sure you have a thin-wall tuning head-tip. The first several notes in the tenor section have a very crowded tuning pin field and if anyone has replaced a pin with an oversize one the thinwall might be needed. From: "Conrad Hoffsommer" > On 6/12/09, Matthew Todd <toddpianoworks at att.net> wrote: >> I will be removing/replacing my first action that has the dowels you have >> to >> unscrew instead of the normal action bolts. Anything special I should >> know >> for this? >> > > You mean the ones with the tubes with real long screws inside them? > > a. Expect to break a screw. It'll break flush with the pinblock. Then, > the real fun begins. > b. Keep them in order - the bass tube has a cut-out section for > clearance for #1 string. Make sure you have it oriented properly when > you replace the action - severe buzzing if not... > > > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC