<HTML> In a message dated 11/14/03 10:39:29 AM, Erwinspiano@aol.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE">Everything I know I l= earned from somebody else & the old school of hard knocks. Pre-stress is= an Old American factory method. No dial idicators yet . Why don't you come = out and slap some contaption on one though, it sounds interesting. </BLOCKQUOTE> the plot thickens still with the old american factory ref. I avidly collect = piano books and especially factory info and stills, and this is new on the s= cope. Is this a steinway thing or where did you get this from ? Re; hard kno= cks I got my shop knowledge from tours and sales of defunct factories here i= n michigan (sad though). It has really paid to learn Tool and Die work, alth= ough tuning is the key skill. I am wary of contraptioning since that's exactly how I tend to solve problem= s: in the most difficut and complicated method possible and am trying to col= d turkey. If you ever do need a dial indicator I like a Starrett back-plunge= r set #196 with an attachment set. You can clamp this anywhere on a piano an= d read just about anything with it. Glenn C.</HTML>