Way back in 1979 when I was rebuilding my Knabe Ampico reproducing
piano, I was living in the Los Angeles, Calif., area.  I took samples
of all the screws from the piano and player mechanism and went to all
the major and old-time hardware stores in an attempt to replace all the
screws with new ones.  It did not take me long to discover that even in
some old turn-of-the-century hardware stores, where you could find just
about any old antique hardware that was ever made, finding exact re-
placement screws was going to be very elusive.

Some of the screws were impossible to find.  I went back to Carty Piano
Co., where I had the great opportunity and privilege of rebuilding my
reproducing piano, and explained my dilemma of not finding all the
types of screws needed.  They simply handed me some jewelers polishing
compound, and pointed me to their wire wheel and buffing wheel, where I
proceeded to wire off the rust, and polish the screws.  It worked.
Both the steel screws and the brass screws looked like new again.  What
a shine on the brass!

Since some of the steel screws had a black finish on them, I simply got
a can of flat-black spray paint, sprayed them, and they looked as good
as new.  The bolts that fastened the plate to the piano were polished
and sent to a plating company, where the heads were brass plated.  They
still shine today.

So, it may be that you will never find all of the screws you need, but
with wire brushing for rust, and polishing, and either painting or hav-
ing them plated again, you can make those old screws look like new.

Larry Norman
From the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.