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<DIV>Phil,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I wrote an article about just such a problem for the Chicago
newsletter. Here it is:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Things Which go Crack in the Night</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It usually begins with a call like this: “I was only walk=
ing through
the living room” or “Suzy had just finished Twinkle, Twinkle=
when the piano made
a huge bang, it sounded horrible, you had better come and look at it right
away.”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Though relatively rare, a broken agraffe can present quite a collection=
of
difficulties in repairing, yet if you are careful and take your time, all bu=
t
the worst situations are easily repaired.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The easiest scenario to repair is when the top of the agraffe breaks of=
f at
the string holes. Simply remove the strings, grab the remainder of the=
agraffe with vise grips or pliers and unscrew. If the stem comes out
cleanly, simply tap the hole (more about this shortly) and install a new
agraffe. When selecting the correct replacement part be aware of diffe=
ring
stem lengths and diameters. The threads have been pretty standardized =
on
most modern instruments so the choice is pretty straight forward between
American and metric.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If the agraffe breaks below the shoulders, first try turning the stem w=
ith
a screwdriver, tapping on the screw driver with a light hammer. =
If
it doesn’t move right away, stop, it is not going to come out this w=
ay.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Next drill a 7/64” or 1/8” hole in the stem and use an =
Easy-Out ™ to remove
it. If the stem comes out, tap the hole and install the new agraffe.&n=
bsp;
If the stem does not come out, go up a step with a 5/32 drill and try the #2=
Easy-Out ™ again. If this fails, it is decision time. An=
y additional
drilling and you run a great risk of damaging or destroying the threads in t=
he
plate. If the original stud size was 7/32” this is an easily s=
olved
problem. You will need to drill and tap the hole properly but you can =
go
up a size in agraffe stem. However, if you are already at the ¼=
” stem size
and you damage the threads beyond use, you will need to repair the harp to
accept the proper agraffe stem.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In order to repair damaged ¼“ agraffe holes, drill out the=
hole to accept a
3/8” threaded brass plug. This hole will need to be tapped to =
accept the
thread of the plug. The plug can be a brass rod you have cut threads o=
nto,
a brass machine screw, or a set screw (which is the best solution overall,
especially in centering the new agraffe hole.) Either choice will invo=
lve
some grinding to remove excess material, the set screws are generally the le=
ast
amount of work. Use a product like JB Weld ™ to cemented the p=
lugs into
the harp. Do a dry fit to insure everything fits properly and install =
and
cement. Allow the cement to cure. Drill the plug out to accept t=
he
new agraffe, tap and install. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A word of caution regarding taps and Easy-Outs ™ - they break.&=
nbsp; And
when they do, you have a bigger problem than you began with. Taps are =
used
to cut new threads inside a hole or to clean up damaged threads. As yo=
u
slowly turn the tap in the agraffe hole, back it out about ¼ turn every=
full
clockwise turn or whenever the resistance increases. This will clear t=
he
shavings which will eventually bind the tap. Go deep enough to safely
accept the new stem length.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are other issues which will be covered in the future which you ma=
y
run into, such as the new agraffe standing taller than the original or less
common lower than the original, not to mention the whole problem of
alignments. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And lastly, sometimes the underlever can be damaged as the strings move=
up,
so don’t forget to make sure it is still in one
piece.<BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>