Replacement Rep Springs

[Bill Ballard]

Are the only  sources for replacement rep springs APSCo, Steinway and
Renner?  I was all ready to replace the set of rotten rep srpings on a
70-year-old Knabe grand, until APSCo told me that they were out of stock on
#24538SP. Samples at my shop left over from 15 years ago match, though one
better than the other. The one is .034" and (phosphor?) bronze colored, and
the other is .028" and steel in appearance. The former, I'm suspecting is
Steinway. No idea where the other came from. Looking in the hard-bound
Renner catalog, I'm not sure how well #686 would match the existing Aeolean
rep.

Also the original spring is set in with (-) 1/8" damper cord. What other
options are available as a center. Like drilling out to 1/8", setting the
spring in with bushing cloth and pinning that, or simply pinning with 1/8"
dowel. (The spring coil is < 1/8" so it wouldn't be loose and reattling on
the dowel.) I've ordered fresh damper cord, but what I have on hand doesnt
look as though it would take the point needed for repeated threading. (I've
tried sizing it with acetone/keytop.)

New reps? If you could see the rest of the piano, you'd agree that I'd do
best just to fix the immediate broken spring problem, and back away as fast
as possible. It is for a deserving pianist, but....one could catch
meningitis from a piano in this condition.

Bill Ballard, RPT
New Hampshire Chapter, PTG

"May you work on interesting pianos."
Ancient Chinese Proverb