<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type = content=text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY text=#000000 bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wow, Robin, this is something!  = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>How long ago did you do this?  If = there was a need to remove the bushings, would the CA make them any more difficult = to remove?  (I just have to ask.)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks so much for sharing your = experiment!  Yes, I think I'll give it a try--as you said, I have nothing to = lose.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=hufford1@airmail.net = href="mailto:hufford1@airmail.net">Robin Hufford</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, December 06, 2004 = 1:31 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Rebushing = centers</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>Hello Barbara,<BR>     I think it = is vital to properly shrink and stabilize  the bushings after = installation.  Otherwise, you will be where you are now with the inadequate Steinway = parts (something ridiculous and telling in itself for a company in business = doing this for 150 years,)  you refer to in recent posts, that is, the = friction will not be stable and the hammer will also wobble causing a loss of power.  <BR>     I have used shrinking fluid combinations with proportions ranging from 50/50  to 75/25 or so, = water and methyl alcohol and had good results. Although, I have had, on = occasion, a need to do some over, as some were still, after drying, loose.  = These were then rendered acceptable after another treatment.  = <BR>     An interesting new possibility, which had occurred to me = one day as I was waiting for a conventionally treated set to dry and is, as = far as I can tell, a completely new technique since I have not seen it referred = to anywhere or heard any discussion about it elsewhere,  I decided = to try  on a set of Tokiwa  shanks which had a very soft, = unstable bushing that responded to pining exactly as you describe with the = Steinway, is, perhaps, better.   = <BR>       This method uses water thin CA glue thinned even further to about about a = 90/10 acetone/glue mix.  It occurs to me now,  as I write = this,  that it may work better if a little methyl alcohol is added as a wetting = agent, if possible, although I haven't done this.  There may be = complications if alcohol is used which I am unaware of at the moment. <BR>      As you know, of course, the CA = rapidly sets and this characteristic obviates the need for the prolonged drying = necessary when using water.   One can vary the mixture as desired to = control its effects,  but if too much CA is used it will make the bushing = so hard that it will click and this defeats the purpose of  its = use.  Too little and there is not enough stability induced in the bushing.  = <BR>      On the piano I tried this on I have = had very good results;  the pining is stable and there was a = noticeable increase in power.  I tried at first to apply it simply by = dripping the mixture onto the bushing:  this does have an effect, but, = eventually, I removed the pining, wetted the bushing and then reinstalled a = pin.   Perhaps,  as I indicated above, a wetting agent like methyl = alcohol will make it possible to do this without even removing the = pining.   All of the flanges on this piano had already been repinned, some twice or = even three times.  They had progressively loosened as you described earlier.  <BR>       Judging from = your recent posts you are considering rebushing the inadequate Steinway = shanks you have referred to.  I would try this technique before rebushing = were this problem one I had to solve.  I think, once resigned to rebushing, = you have nothing to lose.  <BR>Regards, Robin Hufford <BR><BR>Barbara = Richmond wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid000801c4dad5$1f0ef660$66b69f04@richmond2zrxmt type="cite"><META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" = name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here's a question for you who = rebuild action parts:</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've rebushed flanges before, you = know, one here or there, but have never done a whole set.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Are there any secrets besides just = plain old rebushing?  For example, do you shrink the bushings after = you've put them in?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks,</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond, RPT</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>