John asks about removing a sheared screw from a piano action.
If possible, make or have made a hollow drill to fit around the broken
screw part. I have made drills using a piece of steel tubing and hand
filing teeth in the end. By chucking the other end in to a drill, you
can drill down to, and around, the screw.
Another alternative is boring out of a piece of drill rod and forming
teeth on that. The drill rod can be hardened. It will hold up better if
it comes in contact with the screw. A replacement plug can be glued into
the resulting hole and then pre-drill for a new screw. Be very careful of
surrounding action parts.
Regarding the delaminated hammers, the felt has probably hardened because
of the moisture and should not be reused. The best bet is to have new
hammers installed. The piano should also be tipped on its back, the
bottom removed, and the glue joints between the sound board and back
structure should be checked. The sound board often comes loose in that
area after a flood, but cannot be detected without close inspection.
By the way, our weather here is a balmy 90+ degrees and overcast!
Bob Lemon
Lemon's Player Piano Service
Sacramento, CA
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