[pianotech] Un-Grand revisited

[Delwin D Fandrich]

If memory serves--and it may not--I think Robertson's square-drive screws
was in use before the Phillips-type screw came along. I seem to recall
reading somewhere that Henry used square-drive screws in his Model T. The
Phillips screw wasn't invented until 1930 something. With the metallurgy of
the day the Phillips-type screw could take more torque.

Square-drive fasteners are great for assembly work as long as the drivers
don't round over. Even though the Phillips configuration took over in the
U.S. there have always been a few holdouts who continued using square-drive
screws. I guess Grand was one of them. Somebody back then told me Grand used
Robertson's screws from the start. At least that was where I first saw
them--I had to track down a driver with a square blade to fix one. In the
1960s in San Bernardino, CA that wasn't easy.

ddf


Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Design & Fabrication
6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA
Phone  360.515.0119 — Cell  360.388.6525
del at fandrichpiano.com — ddfandrich at gmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 9:14 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Un-Grand revisited


I finally got to bolt up the back of that mystery Grand spinet I posted
about months ago. The repair went adequately, as did the two semitone pitch
raise, but I still have no idea why a piano listed in the Pierce as of North
Carolina origin would have been assembled with Robertson screws.

P.S.  I posted here for two reasons;
(1) More readers.
(2) Attached photos via email.

Ron N