Hi Barb, Duplicating the rail should not be necessary if the tabs are all straight. I like to anneal the rails by heating to a dull cherry red (visible in a dimly lit room). You can do it with a gas stove burner or a propane torch. The brass is work-hardened by the original stamping and possibly from use or over tightening of the butt plates, so heating the brass makes it less brittle / more tolerant of bending while maintaining adequate strength. If there are broken tabs, then replacement (used or from Schaff) is best. Call Schaff to see if they still do replacements. Note that they don't do double rail type (such as Kimball) where the hammers and damper levers are attached to the one plate. Tom Cole Barb Nobbe wrote: > Hello list, > > I'm working on my very first rebuild that is a 1916 J & C Fischer upright. It went through a fire, but only suffered smoke/soot damage. My customer is adament about getting it restored and thankfully, the insurance company is paying for the work. It has a lost motion and sostenuto rail, which I found interesting for an old upright, but from the research I've done and the looks of the piano, this seems to have been a higher quality instrument back in the day. > > My question is this...I know there are companies out there that duplicate the brass rails. So far with my inspections, I don't see any cracks or defects that would lead me to believe this rail is bad, other than age. I do plan on replacing all the tabs and little screws with the rebuild, as it's getting new hammers and butts too, but I was hoping to save the cost of duplicating the rail. I know OTOH, that brass is a really soft metal and if one of the tabs on the rail breaks off, I've got a nice little headache to have contend with. > > Should I save myself the possible headache, cough up the extra dough out of my budget and go ahead and get a new rail, or would most of you take the chance on keeping the original? Just curious. Thanks! > > > Barbara Nobbe, RPT > Pitch Perfect > 859-489-4793 > barbara at pitchperfectpianos.com
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