<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Very good information Joe. I'll be sure to have my grandkids read it ;-).<div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div>Al -</div><div>High Point, NC</div><div><br></div></span>PS, You know I'm just pulling your leg. </div> <br><div><div>On Oct 5, 2011, at 11:58 AM, Joseph Garrett wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>All,<br>The last convention in Las Vegas, each attendee got their "packet". In that<br>packet was a piece of plastic, called a screw gauge.(on the gauge, it was<br>labled "Standard Screw & Wire Gage" AND "Metric Screw & Wire Gage"). Even<br>tho, the company that made these necessary tools spelled Gauge incorrectly,<br>(obviously, the spelling police were not present at the factory.<G>), this<br>gauge is the best I've found. It is thick enough to measure sheet metal<br>screws that have the threads all the way up to the head. I've found, over<br>the years, screw gauges to be an essential TOOL for what we do. These<br>Gauges are available from our Home Office or your local Hardware store, or<br>direct from the manufacturer. I strongly advise, All technicians to have,<br>at least one in their tool kit AND one in their shop, (if they have a<br>shop<G>). It takes up very little room and will become an integral part of<br>the way you do your work, believe me. Gee, no more guessing what size screw<br>that fell behind the piano!<G> On that note, I have a Steinway type lid<br>prop. It is made out of wood. I've inserted 1/2" magnets in varioius<br>places, on both sides of the lid prop. Since the large percentage of screws<br>in a piano are steel, the chance of misplacing those case screws just got a<br>lot less possible. BTW, since we are, by nature, very anal, let's all put<br>the same screw back in the same hole it came out of. This will lessen the<br>incidence of stripped screws, (not to mention a whole lot of other<br>problems.<G>) And, remember to turn the screw backwards when starting to<br>re-insert the screw, in the correct hole, THEN turn it in once it "clicks"<br>into it's thread groove.<br>Regards,<br>Joe<br><br><br>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<br>Captain of the Tool Police<br>Squares R I<br><br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>