Tuning levers, more fuel for the fire

[Greg Newell]

---------------------- multipart/mixed attachment
Folks,
         I never expected to get so much mileage from what I thought was a 
simple topic. Thanks to one and all who have posted your ideas about tuning 
levers. I found it all to be very valuable as I'm sure many after me will 
as well. Ya gotta love those archives :-)
         I have settled on a Watanabe as I posted earlier in part because 
it is like my old Hale lever and in part because I just had to have an 
extension lever. BTW it's an octagonal shaft not hexagonal as , I think, 
someone posted. It seems stiff enough to me and there is a good match 
between the body / shank/ and collet. There are no clicks of any kind and 
no excess play that I can tell and what's perhaps most important is that 
the tip fits quite well.
         All this brings me to my only problem with the lever and that is 
the diameter of the handle. I'd like it to be at least 30% (S.W.A.G.) 
thicker and perhaps with a ball or teardrop shape at the end, I don't know. 
Has anyone ever turned a new handle for their old extension lever? Can they 
be effectively separated from the steel collet and shank assembly? Can one 
obtain all the pieces of an extension lever such as the Watanabe 
(specifically) and turn their own handle? I guess I could just call 
Pianotek but I don't think they're in just now (11:45).

Greg Newell
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net

---------------------- multipart/mixed attachment--