removing 88 butts

[Barrie Heaton]

It all depends whether the shanks are maple hornbeam or ceedarwood to
which method is appropriate.

If ceedarwood, generally speaking extraction is not a good option.  The
shanks tend to break before they extract.  You are far better drilling
them out.  I made a little jig out of two peices of wood and a drill
vice.  Cut two pieces of hardwood to the width and depth of your drill
vice,  approximately one inch thiick each.  Take one of your hammer
butts saw the shank off flush with the top of the butt,  place the butt
top square with the top of the  jig, mark a line underneath the balance
hammer shank.  just below this line make two marks, one just behind the
catcher and one just in front of the buttnoch.  Take two balance rail
pins, drill holes through both pieces of wood where you have marked and
insert balance rail pins in to holes.   Make the holes in the second
piece of wood slightly larger so that the pins move in and out freely.
If you have got your measurement right, when you place your two pieces
of wood together with the balance rail pins acting as a guide, you
should be able to rest the balance shank on top of the balance rail pins
and the butt should line up nice and square with the top of the jig.  If
you now screw thse pieces of wood in to your drill  vice.  You have a
jig for holding the hammer butts square and in place ready for drilling.

All you need is a  bit of tension applied by the vice to grip hold  the
butts.  Then with an L shaped piece of wood or metal screw that to the
base plate of your drill stand,  making sure that when the jig is pushed
up in to the corner of the L, the part of the butt you wish to drill is
squarely align directly under the drill bit.  This allows you to change
over the butts in the drill vice very quickly and not have to worry
about visually aligning each time as the L shaped piece of wood centrers
the jig under the drill the balance pins make sure the butt is square to
the drill and a little tension on the drill vice ensures the butt
doesn't move just set your drill stop and away you go.

Extraction  I assume that you will be replacing the leathers as this
method will damage the existing leathers.

Pinch your kettle out of the kitchen and while you are there, look under
the cupboard under the sink and pinch your partners rubber gloves.

Cut one of the fingers off the rubber glove and place over the spout of
your kettle and tie securely,   with a pin make a small pin prick in the
end of the finger which is over trhe spot.  This will give you a fine
jet of steam.  With a pair of mouldgrips with some leather or wood glued
to the grips to protect the butt.  Grip hold of the but and place the
end of the shank in to the steam.  (remove all glue collars before doing
this)  with another pair of plyers yank on the other shank in a slow
twisting movement and the shanks will come loose fronm the butt.

*Warning*  steam will frazle the leathers and it will frazle you if you
are not careful.  Stand behind the kettle and let the steam blow away
from you.  Be warned if you have a smallish workshop it makes it like a
turkish steam bath,  but it is a quick way of doing it.  Providing of
course that they are virgin shanks and animal glue is used.
 if it was synthetic glue you are best drilling them out.

Hope this makes some sense to you.  I know what I want to say but I can
never put it in to words that makes sense.

Regards,

Barrie.





In article <199703251514_MC2-1342-65F2@compuserve.com>, Dan Litwin
<Dan_Litwin@compuserve.com> writes
>Dear all,
>
>There was a glitch in my e-mail software.  I hope this is not a duplicate
>message.
>
>Please inform of any tricks you may use to remove a whole set of shanks
>from butts in an old upright.  New butts are not going to be cost effective
>since they are "Steinway style" butts with standard double flanges.  Parts
>are not cheap, and pinning 88 hammers and nearly as many damper levers will
>add to that as well.
>
>So please send info only on shank removal from the butts.  The hammers are
>to be replaced anyway.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Dan Litwin
>





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Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally Friendly
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