<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Wim</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>    If it were me I'd = give up on the brass convert it to standard wooded flanges at least on the hammer rail.   You can probably attach the new wooden (real) flanges = ones to the existing rail via the current machine screw application.  I = believe that Pacific Piano in L. A. now has wippen replacements for these( Brass = albatrosses)old ones.  If the existing rails don't work fabricating = new ones isn't that tough and you can kiss your brass goodbye!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>   This repair leaves no = question marks,ifs ands or butts of any kind.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>  My very biased opinion is that = you can spend more time fussing with the brass than it's worth and still have an iffy outcome!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>       = Good day</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>   Dale Erwin</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM" = title=Wimblees@AOL.COM>Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" title=pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, April 07, 2001 10:54 AM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: Chickering brass flanges</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a message = dated 4/6/01 7:10:01 PM Central Daylight Time, <A href="mailto:JIMRPT@AOL.COM">JIMRPT@AOL.COM</A> <BR>writes: = <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: = 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">Wim; <BR>If you will recall two years ago (?) I reported = on a Chickering rebuild <BR>with <BR>a set of these thingees.  There = were numerous cracked hammer flanges and <BR>all <BR>of the rest were very = brittle. I annealed the ones without cracks and <BR>verrrrry carefully annealed = and silver soldered the ones with cracks.   <BR>Results so far on the = work is that this piano is used by three youngsters <BR>taking music lessons = and so far is standing up very well...i.e. no cracked <BR>flanges. :-) = <BR>Jim Bryant (FL) <BR>Note: This work was a "restoration" vs a 'rebuild' and that = is what lead to <BR>the effort to save the flanges. = <BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Jim <BR><BR>Are you willing to take on another one of these jobs. As far as = I can tell, <BR>none of the flanges are broken. When finished, the piano will = be used in a <BR>recording studio. Although it will not be used all the time, it = will get <BR>heavy use. Do you think the annealation will stand up to this = kind of <BR>playing, over a long period of time. The recording studio is owned = by two <BR>young guys, with great expectations. The piano belongs to one guy's = mother, <BR>who is willing to give them the piano if they pay for the = restoration. I want <BR>to replace the shanks and hammers, and restore the wippens. = This piano will <BR>also get a new pin block and strings and a new finish. From = what I can tell, <BR>it will be hell of sounding piano. I just don't want to have = them spend <BR>$12000 only to have the hammer flanges crap out on them in a = couple of years. <BR>Therefore, I wonder if this treatment is long lasting, or as = Paul said, <BR>doesn't really have any effect at all.   = <BR><BR>Wim</FONT> </FONT></BODY></HTML>