impenetrable case woes (Norris upright),&(Chickering quarter grand )

[gordon stelter]

I just worked on a nifty Chickering Quarter Grand,
ex-Ampico, from the mid 20's. I liked almost
everything about it EXCEPT the irritating screws in
the music desk pivot-hinges which seemed IMPOSSIBLE to
remove without marring the desk-support surface!
ALSO: The irritating action bracket screws which can
not be removed without taking off the letoff rail, BUT
WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO REMOVE HAD THEY MADE THE
ACTION FEET ANOTHER INCH LONGER, which could have
easily ben done, as there was room for this !!!!!!
It seems as if a sadist was at play in the design
department!
HOW DO YOU GET THE DESK HINGE MOVABLE_PANEL SCREWS OUT
????? WITHOUT MARRING THE SLIDING TRAY SIDES 
( Where the candles go? ) I think this would make a 
good Journal article!
    Thump


--- J Patrick Draine <draine@comcast.net> wrote:

> Every so often some newbie posts an inquiry about
> some fallboard or 
> other component they can't figure out how to remove.
> Lo, I received my 
> 25 year pin earlier this year, but I too am stumped,
> once again.
> Norris (Charles) was a small manufacturer in Boston,
> and I'm working on 
> an early 20th c medium size (46"?) upright. I'm a
> bit confounded by 
> some of their case assembly eccentricities. My
> description is also 
> encumbered because these case parts are not
> described and named in 
> Mason's "Piano Parts." The "top front panel" has
> pivot pins which slide 
> into pivot plates recessed into the pillars on
> either side of the case. 
> In this piano, these pillars are part of the case
> (not screwed in and 
> separately removable, as in many full uprights).
> There is also a 
> stretcher bar between the pillar tops, which the
> front edge of the lid 
> rests upon. This stretcher is attached by screws to
> the pillars (in a 
> rather difficult-to-access setup). After removing
> the screws, I was 
> planning on lifting the stretcher out of the way
> (for unencumbered 
> access to the tuning pins etc), but to my surprise
> the case and pillars 
> have an inner flange which prevents lifting it out!
> For greater frustration, the  fallboard also seems
> to have been 
> installed by some wood workers who love puzzles -- I
> removed a few 
> screws but it wouldn't budge.
> 
> I encountered the piano in a rather sleep deprived
> state, but did 
> manage to remove the action (it barely fit between
> the pillars) to the 
> shop, to repair a shank, replace bridle straps,
> reduce flange friction 
> (alcohol/water, CPL), etc.
> Nope, no pictures -- my Nikon 2500 is hiding
> somewhere around the 
> house, so I finally bought a Canon A80 a couple days
> ago.
> Anyone in the Boston area recall running into this
> case assembly style? 
> It does remind me of the days when there was a local
> high end furniture 
> company, Paine Furniture, which offered custom cases
> on Baldwin 
> consoles. Figuring out how to get into those cases
> as always a 
> frustrating challenge!
> 
> Patrick Draine
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info:
> https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> 



		
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