Tips, tricks and tools

[Maxpiano@aol.com]

For years I have used a homemade vertical lid prop like the one described in 
the Journal a few years back (pedal prop with sound board button and front 
rail punching on one end and going through a leather-padded stick on the 
other.  

As I occasionally forget a tool at a customer's home, this lid prop has more 
than once stayed behind until the next visit, leaving me to come up with a 
substitute lid prop in the meantime.  In my junk box I found a likely piece 
of metal to substitute for the leather-padded stick:  the top half of a 
broken pelican spring!  Glued a buckskin strip on it (after grinding the 
broken edge smooth and punching out a hole in the leather) and voila!  Added 
the other pieces and got a serviceable lid prop.

Bill Maxim, RPT
Maxim Piano Service
Columbia, SC