[pianotech] Scrunch time with no key for access

[Isaac Sadigursky]

Hi,Keith!
Here is my confessional;
I carry a BOLT  CUTTER in my van.
Had to open locks many times.
Saved me  and customer lost time.Locks are easy to replace,they cost  
$3-5.
Other applications for Bolt Cutter:
I carry long screws #10-#12 for Key Slip Rails and #16-#18 for Grand  
Legs and Lyres and with the Bolt Cutter can fit them appropriately
Missing Lyre Braces can be cut to exact length a-la Yamaha or Kawai.
Hope,it helps.
Isaac Sadigursky,RPT
Rainy Los Angeles..
On Dec 21, 2010, at 1:14 PM, Mr. Mac's wrote:

> List,
>
> Went to tune this Cable Spinet piano (see image) in a Golden Corral  
> restaurant  Monday morning.
>
> Ooops, what do I find, a hasp and a lock restricting opening the  
> fall board. And do I have a key … of course not. Does the restaurant  
> have a key … no way. It is now 9AM.
>
> I made a phone call and discovered I would have to leave to get one  
> of two keys available elsewhere in the city and get the job done  
> before the restaurant doors at 11AM . Didn't want to do try making  
> it happen, but what choice did I have.
>
> But wait,  the lightbulb of there is another way to circumvent  
> making that trip for the key and accomplish the task at hand.
>
> I ended up tuning the piano (two passes), brushed the hammer faces  
> with a brass brush and cleaned the keys. Voila!
>
> Care to guess how this was could be?
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Keith McGavern, RPT
>
> <cable.jpg>