pianotech-digest V2000 #984

[Henk Cousijn]

Hello Dave,

When I had the same thing happening I drilled three holes with a 1 mm drill
next to the remainder of the regulating screw.
Then I pushed the remainder out, for there was no wood enough to keep it in
there.
After that I drilled a hole from the size of a hammershank, filled it up
with a shank, shaved it off  and drilled a new hole for the replacement
regulating srew.
It takes some time before you realise you can't get it out neatly you know.
I hope you can use this info.

Henk Cousijn, Holland

----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Nereson <dnereson@dimensional.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: pianotech-digest V2000 #984


> Does anyone know how to loosen up "frozen" (seized-up) regulating
screws --
> in this case, let-off screws.  This is in a Baldwin studio, only 20 years
> old or so.  I tried turning them carefully and the eyelets would break
off.
> So I had to take off the button, grab the other end of the screw with a
> vise-grips and turn out the remainder of the screw.  But in some cases,
that
> would break off also, leaving only that portion of the screw that's in the
> wood, and nothing left to grab.  So I tried heating them all with a torch,
> thinking the expanding metal would also expand the hole in the wood, then
> when they cooled, they might turn easier, but no dice.  They still break
> off.  And they're not even rusty.  I hate to put any type of oil or liquid
> lube, thinking that would expand the wood cells, making the let-off screws
> even tighter.  How to get the remainder of the screw out of the wood?  (I
> can do it by carving away enough wood to let me grab some screw with the
> visegrips, but hate to butcher the rail).  Can ya buy a new let-off rail
> from Baldwin (it's the common studio model that's in many many schools)?
>