broken action bracket

[Guy, Karen, and Tor Nichols]

At 07:04 PM 8/6/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi List,
>
>Well, here goes my first post...this problem is beyond my knowledge.
>
>This afternoon, while screwing down the stack to the keyframe, one of the
>action brackets broke as if it were made out of sand.  I had noticed that the
>brackets were just full of cracks and that one of the brackets was already
>broken at the screwhole where it is screwed to the hammer flange rail.  The
>metal seemed to be very soft so I tried to be careful screwing the stack
>down, but alas, the metal just fell apart.
>
>One thing I thought was interesting is that the break is NOT through the
>screwhole, it is behind it.  The entire screwhole is intact with about 1/8"
>to spare before the break point.
>
>Does anyone have a suggestion on how to repair this monstrosity and what to
>use?  Is there a "glue" for metal?  Should I torch the piano and tell the
>customer my dog ate it?  Oh Lord, I need help.  Thanks in advance to anyone
>who can tell me what to do and how well it works.
>
>Cindy Crombach, RPT
>Rochester, NY
>

Cindy,
	Welcome to the list. Sorry 'bout your action stack, I hate when that
happens.....
	There is a truly neat product at your corner hardware store, called PC-7.
It's a two-part epoxy compound with lots of body, and is available in
various sizes. I've had terrific luck with this stuff for all kinds of
metal repairs. Space permitting, consider a splint (imbedded in the mix) of
aluminum stock or something. You can also drill real tiny holes on either
side of the crack, wire it together, and then smear the PC-7 over the
wound. Be sure to have some nifty toys handy for the excess, it's just too
much fun to waste. Wire brushing the outside surfaces will, of course,
facilitate better bonding.(be sure to tell that to your husband, too)

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!
Guy
Guy Nichols, RPT
nicho@lascruces.com
	"Irreversablility is the mechanism by which order is brought from chaos"
						Prigogine