<HTML><HEAD> <META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.19298"></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="MS Sans Serif">Hmmm? Isn't that what I said?<G> I don't think it needs to be that big of a job, with the right "Jig", it's almost cut/dry easy.<G> If the piano is in the shop, it's even a bit  easier, imo.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="MS Sans Serif">That's my take on it.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2 face="MS Sans Serif">Joe</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=tunerryan@gmail.com href="mailto:tunerryan@gmail.com">Ryan Sowers</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=joegarrett@earthlink.net href="mailto:joegarrett@earthlink.net">joegarrett@earthlink.net</A>;<A title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 9/11/2012 11:32:46 PM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [pianotech] re; Brass Rail Duplicatio</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2>The other solution is to get rid of the brass rail altogether and convert it to regular wood flanges. I did one a few years ago and bid it around 4K. I also thought I would bid it higher the next time, as it turned out to be a fair amount of work: probably should be more like 5K. It did come out pretty well and it was nice to have a new set of Renner butts in the old Packard.  <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Ryan Sowers<BR> <DIV><BR> <DIV class=gmail_quote>On Tue, Sep 11, 2012 at 11:11 PM, Joseph Garrett <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:joegarrett@earthlink.net" target=_blank>joegarrett@earthlink.net</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class=gmail_quote>Wim said:<BR>"Maybe the jig used to make the new rails is bad, or the materials used is<BR>not what it used to be, or the guy who is doing the work isn't experienced<BR>enough to do the job right in the first place. But for whatever reason,<BR>maybe we should all learn the lesson that brass rail replacements are no<BR>longer available.<BR><BR><BR>So my solution, and I'll probably get a lot of flack for saying this, is to<BR>tell the customer that replacement parts for brass rails are no longer<BR>available, and it's time to get another piano. If the problem had been a<BR>rotted out pin block, or badly split bridge, or completely worn out action,<BR>what would you tell the customer? As long as they work, old uprights are<BR>great. But there come a time when we need to say, "enough is enough, it's<BR>time to bury the sucker".<BR><BR>Just my 2 cents worth<BR><BR>Wim,<BR>I'll see that 2 cents and raise you $.50...Why not replace with regular<BR>flanges?!! Novel idea? <G> Not really. Been doing it for 35 years or so.<BR>Or....how about, If the rail is just in need of annealing...doing it?!!<BR>Sigh!<BR>Just my 1/2 Euros worth...or is that a peso? Nah, both are worth way more<BR>than our currency.<BR>Joe<BR><BR><BR>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.<BR>Captain of the Tool Police<BR>Squares R I<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><BR clear=all> <DIV><BR></DIV>-- <BR>Ryan Sowers, RPT<BR>Puget Sound Chapter<BR>Olympia, WA<BR><A href="http://www.pianova.net">www.pianova.net</A><BR></DIV></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>