<br><br> <div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 7:39 AM, Dean May <<a href="mailto:deanmay@pianorebuilders.com">deanmay@pianorebuilders.com</a>> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"> <div lang="EN-US" vlink="blue" link="blue"> <div> <p><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Great tip, Bruce!</span></font></p> <p><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p> <p><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thanks</span></font></p> <p><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p> <div> <p><b><font face="Bradley Hand ITC" color="navy" size="6"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: navy">Dean</span></font></b><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy"></span></font></p> <p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="navy" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 </span></font></p> <p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="navy" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 </span></font></p> <p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="navy" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Terre Haute</span></font><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy"> IN  47802</span></font><font color="navy"><span style="COLOR: navy"></span></font></p> </div> <p><font face="Arial" color="navy" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></font></p> <div> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <hr align="center" width="100%" size="2"> </span></font></div> <p><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</span></font></b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> <a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" target="_blank">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" target="_blank">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</a>] <b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>Bruce Dornfeld<br> <b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</span></b> Sunday, March 09, 2008 11:57 PM<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</span></b> pianotech<br><b><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</span></b> Side lifting tops on vertical pianos</span></font></p> </div> <div> <div></div> <div class="Wj3C7c"> <p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </span></font></p> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I also no longer bother to pull out these hinge pins.  For a while I borrowed the soft pedal rod, but it is a bit too short and a pain to replace when the top is no longer up high.  Then I found out the perfect tool for this has been riding around in my car for years now: the sectional steel rods (Schaff part number 3339, new catalog page 55).  This four piece rod is screwed together to help remove spinet actions, for those actions with the holder for them cast into the bracket.  It may seem a bit flimsy, but it is about the same diameter or smaller than most of the side lid props.  It will fit the cup on the lid easily.  Most pianos will have a handy place for the other end where it will be secure.  One piano I work on needs a vice grip to hold the steel rods in place with no chance of slipping.  You can use only three of the four pieces, but all four gives about four feet in length which works very well for me.  This i! s one of very few tips I can claim credit, or blame, for myself.  I have been using this method on many pianos for a number of years now.  I make a note on my client records so I know it is a side lifting top to bring this in, since it is not part of my normal number one tuning kit.  If you already have one of these give it a try, I certainly use it for tuning a lot more than to remove spinet actions!</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </span></font></p></div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </span></font></p></div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Bruce Dornfeld, RPT</span></font></p></div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><a href="mailto:bdornfeld@earthlink.net" target="_blank">bdornfeld@earthlink.net</a></span></font></p></div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">North</span></font><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Shore</span></font><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Chapter</span></font></p> </div> <div> <p><font face="MS Sans Serif" size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </span></font></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div> <div>I will never forget the home I walked into with one of those side opening Kimballs where they had it open, all propped up there just looking ridiculous, especially so since it had begun to sag and looked like an old swaybacked horse!</div> <div> </div> <div>Mike<br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.<br>Charles M.Schulz<br><br>Michael Magness<br>Magness Piano Service<br>608-786-4404<br><a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</a><br> email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</a> </div>