broken agraffe

[piannaman at aol.com]

  Patrick,
 
 When I ordered an agraffe from Steinway not long ago, I spoke with tech support. They didn't recommend an ez-out, though I'd used one before on another piano successfully. 
 
 Brass is hard, but the steel used in most screwdrivers is harder. What they suggested is to cut a slot in the top of the jagged edge of the so that it could be unscrewed. I used a screwdriver about twice as big as the kind you use for eyeglasses, the kind with steel handles that comes in a set of 6 of varying degrees of smallness. 
 
 Per Steinway recommendation, I very gradually tapped a slot across the top, first by hitting straight down(not too hard, just enough to get a slight indent), then tapping along the indent with the corner of the screwdriver blade in order to make the indent into a slot. 
 
 The suggestion was to "think like a jeweler," and use small movements. It took some patience, but eventually I got a slot large enough to get a bite with the screwdriver, and out it came. They generally aren't screwed in particularly tight.
 
 Hope this helps
    Dave Stahl, RPT
 
 Dave Stahl Piano Service
 650-224-3560
 dstahlpiano at sbcglobal.net
 http://dstahlpiano.net/
 
 
 -----Original Message-----
  From: jpdraine at gmail.com
 To: pianotech at ptg.org
 Sent: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 7:21 AM
 Subject: broken agraffe
 
  List, 
 I've got (well my customer has) a S&S M with a broken agraffe. My 
 attempt at drilling the stub out to get a small EZ-Out into it has 
 been rather ineffective. That brass is hard! What kind of bit do you 
 use for this job? And where do you purchase said bit (titanium? 
 diamond encrusted??)? 
 Working "in situ" in a church chapel I've been trying to do this free 
 hand with a 1/2" drill. I'm sure this is much less of a headache in a 
 shop with a drillpress but I was hoping to avoid moving etc. over one 
 darn agraffe ... 
 Thanks, 
 Patrick 
   
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