On Aug 31, 2010, at 8:55 AM, John Minor wrote: > Anyone know a source for replacement jack tongues for a Dowd > harpsichord? > > John Minor > University of Illinois The usual reason to need new tongues is that the spring breaks. I don't remember if Dowd tongues have plastic springs, but I came up with an efficient way to attach new springs to plastic tongues. 1) Saw a kerf (exacto saw) about 1 cm long where the old spring left the tongue (along the back of the tongue) 2) Drill a tiny hole at the end of the kerf 3) Take a short length of thin wire (.008" or so) and make a 90 degree bend 2 mm from the end 4) Insert that bend in the hole, and press the wire into the kerf 5) Melt the plastic with a heat controlled soldering iron to secure the wire in the kerf 6) Make a curve in the wire where it will bear on the jack, cut away excess. 7) Adjust the curvature for clearance and appropriate strength. This goes very fast once you have the tools and supplies assembled. The only thing I haven't mentioned is a vice to hold the tongue while sawing, drilling and melting. Regards, Fred Sturm fssturm at unm.edu http://www.youtube.com/fredsturm
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