>Preparing to install new damper felt on an old Dekalb Miniature Grand, I was >in the process of removing the dampers. All went well until I got to one >which the screw seemed frozen. In trying to loosen the screw the slot became >stripped, so I used a pliers to try to turn the darn thing, and the head >broke off. So now I have all the dampers out of the piano except this one. > >Help! > >Tom Sivak Hi Tom, I've had it happen. It's a pain in the process, but not that hard a fix since you already have the rest of the dampers out. Do like Brian said. Cut the wire (leave an inch or so to grab with pliers later), pull the underlever assembly, and fix it on the bench. If you can't get the underlever off with the flange rail in the piano, pull the assembly. It needs cleaned up and the refelted anyway. Centerpunch and drill out the screw. Don't drill through the damper wire, just far enough that the screw no longer has a clamp on it. Once the screw is out of the way (or loose), pull the wire stub out and replace the brass bushing and screw. Replace the damper wire. This leaves it like you found it (only working) without adding any unnecessary hardware for the next guy to ponder over, and it's not nearly as difficult as - say - spacing spinet hammers. You'll be glad you did and will want to show someone how well it turned out. They'll look at it, and since it doesn't look any different than the rest of them, they'll say "So?" That means you did a good job. Ron N
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