outbreak of war - piano plates

[Ron Nossaman]

>As a new comer to this site I have to ask if the outbreak of hostilities 
>bewteen messrs Brekne/Nossaman is usual or "normal" ?

I just didn't and don't approve of his using my name in that context. We've 
had the discussion before.


>Also is there some reason why I should have to be in the middle of it ?

None whatsoever.


>With respect could someone give me an intelligent answer to my question 
>which was " Does anyone have any useful ideas for when one has refinished 
>a plate how to stop damaging the paint surface when re-fitting and 
>tightening the plate bolts" Thank you.

I assume you're talking about the tendency of the finish to lift up around 
the perimeter of the screw head when you torque the screw down? I've had 
the best luck with cleaning out the countersink in the plate down to bare 
metal where the head seats, using a countersink and some careful scraping 
before the lacquer dries hard. I figure if there isn't any finish to 
squeeze out from under the screw head as it's tightened, it won't lift 
adjacent finish. So far, this has proven to be the case. I usually replace 
old plate screws with new, and re-size the countersinks if necessary to fit 
the new screw - or at least clean them out before refinishing the plate. 
This makes cleaning them afterward easier.

A hollow ground bit helps keep the bit in the screw and out of the plate 
finish too. I drive them manually, having drilled adequate sized pilot 
holes. After some recent experiments, I intend to use a little varnish in 
the hole to ease driving the screw too. It really made a difference, and I 
like it.

Ron N