Hallet & Davis bridge agraffes

[Richard Moody]

Hello Richard of the enquiring minds who want to know.		Are these agraffes
similar to the ones used on Sohmer grands with reverse bearing?
James Grebe

Preview.   The Hallet and Davis bridge agraffes are drilled at an angle so
that the strings appear even on a plane on the speaking side, but on the
tail side they are alternatly higher and lower. Brass, machine threaded
screwed into wood. The agraffes with holes higher than the speaking side
have longer threaded shanks.  The bass agraffes are slotted from each side
so that the slakened string can be removed.  Which is the only way it can
be done unless you want to form the hitchpin ties when the string is
already in the piano. ; ) 

OK, the bass agraffes have slots in them so that the slackened string can
be pulled in and out.  It seemed that the string had to be raised to meet
the slot. So that means it must press down on the brigde. In trying to
determine if there was indeed down bearing, I couldn't figure how to get
the three legged guage to work, I was feeling for variations infront of
the agraffe and behind the agraffe. Strange thing, the lengths from  note
to note behind the agraffe varied sharpely, while the lengths seemed
level.  This caused me to remember a post from the past that mentioned the
Hallet and Davis agraffes alternated the bearing.  
	So I turned out an agraffe.  They are simply threated into the wood with
whatlooks like machine threads. Lo and behold, the holes on one side of
the agraffe were higher than the holes on the other side!  Hmm... I then
pulled out the next agraffe, and the holes on the tail side were lower
than the holes on the speaking length side. 
	It appears the speaking length side the holes are all on the same leve,
however the holes behind are alternatly higher and lower than the speaking
length side.  In other words the holes are drilled at an angle, either up
or down.  
What a set up!  I wonder who thought of that, and what were they thinking
to come up with such an arrangement. 
	If you need a picture I would love to have access to a web site and post
a scanned drawing, or a photo, or get "Snappy"tm and see what a still of
my video camera looks like. All I need is a scanner, a website, and
"Snappy". 

Richard Moody