<html xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" = xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=Windows-1252"> <meta name=ProgId content=Word.Document> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <meta name=Originator content="Microsoft Word 10"> <link rel=File-List href="cid:filelist.xml@01C347F2.D1E9E410"> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="date"/> <o:SmartTagType = namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="time"/>  <style>  </style>  </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple = style='tab-interval:.5in'> <div class=Section1> Well, Tom, = don’t be shy about sharing your experiences. We need more voices—not that we = don’t love lurkers—but there are many more people with good stuff to share = than we hear from.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Having said all that … picture = Apu from “the Simpsons” saying:  “I don’t know = what the Hell were you thinking?”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Lester spinet + plastic elbows + = plastic flanges = “Into the pond with that one, = Lady!”<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p>  It’s a PSO; it’s a POS; and = it’s an OPS*<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I’ve replaced plastic elbows in cheap pianos when the flanges were wood, but I would have condemned that = puppy on site. Once a lady paid me to replace all elbows, whippen flanges, and hammer butt flanges on a Gulbransen console—but she knew her options and the cost, up front. Thank Heavens the damper flanges were wood.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> It’s the “ya never know” that makes it fun (sometimes) isn’t = it?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Cheers,<o:p></o:p>= <o:p> </o:p> <div> Alan R. = Barnard<o:p></o:p> <st1:place><st1:City>= Salem</st1:City>, <st1:State>MO</st1:State></st1:place><fon= t size=2 color=navy face=Arial><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p></= span> *Old-Plastic = Spinet<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> </div> -----Original = Message----- From: = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Tvak@aol.com Sent: = <st1:date Month="7" Day="11" Year="2003">Friday, July 11, = 2003</st1:date> <st1:time Hour="20" Minute="54">8:54 PM</st1:time> To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: lessons = learned <o:p> </o:p> To all Today I taught myself a couple of lessons.  First of all, I will = never break the following rule ever again: Don't ever...ever....even TOUCH a plastic flange unless it is glued to = the doorknob of the exit door and even only then if there's no other way = out. I replaced a set of elbows today.  I knew that it had plastic = wippen flanges.  Why was I so careless snapping that first elbow in = place?  The price?  Removal of the spinet action to replace the cracked = plastic wippen flange.  The other 87 elbows snap in place with no further problem due to extreme = care on my part.  Adjust the lost motion and...play the piano.  = Hmmm...the hammer on middle C is double striking.  I'll just move the = backcheck forward and... (What was I thinking...?) Out comes the spinet action to replace the newly broken plastic wippen flange.  While replacing the wippen flange I brush against a damper = lever and...now I can replace the plastic damper flange on that damper lever = and... the one next to it which I also bumped into with the screwdriver. Back goes the action and as I play the piano I realize that the damper = lever on D5 is not damping due to it's also being cracked.  (I did look at = them all while they were out of the piano, but it was not visually = apparent.)  Now, I was nowhere near D5 so I wonder if this was a pre-existing problem, = which leads me to the next lesson I learned: Check the piano first to see if there are any problems.  BTW, my original service call on this piano was 6 months ago at which = time I replaced 4 elbows and informed the client of the existence of all the = plastic flanges, and the costs involved in replacing them.  I advised him = NOT to put any money into this Lester spinet, other than replacing those 4 = elbows that had already broken.  Six months later he called to tell me to go = ahead with the elbows.   In the back of my mind I was thinking, = wasn't this the piano with all the plastic flanges?  But rather than say = anything, I just went ahead and made the appointment.  Which leads me to the = last lesson for the day: Take better notes on each piano for future reference. I rarely share my experiences with others on the list.   Hope = this was worth reading... Tom Sivak<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html> --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.495 / Virus Database: 294 - Release Date: 6/30/2003 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.495 / Virus Database: 294 - Release Date: 6/30/2003