In a message dated 6/29/98 8:09:20 AM, you wrote: <<I suspect a manufacturing defect, >> <<There are two reasons the screw broke, discounting a faulty screw>> Just my two cents; Don't discount the faulty screw. Given that the way Wurlitzer mounted the action was rather dumb, but cheaper, - it depended on the long screw to actually flex like a spring when working properly. -- Then I understand, (have heard) that they got a ton of bad screws that were harder steel, more brittle, and just were not up to being flexed more than a few times. So, the screw was probably faulty. The Wurlitzer company, when asked, used to send out 4 new screws and an extractor device on a handle for getting the proken part of the screw out, free of charge. I still have mine. The rubber thing is a new one to me. Perhaps it was a repair by some technician. As for getting the screw out, you might try something I always thought should work. Take a hollow, thin steel tube, with an inside diameter larger than the screw diameter, and file directional teeth on the end. Chuck it in a drill and drill out the column of wood that contains the screw, or at least weaken the wood's holding ability for an inch or so until a needle nosed pliers can grip the screw and reverse it out. ( this might take a lot of passes to clean out the teeth, as there is no fluting to eject chips. Then plug the hole, and redrill for a new screw. I have used this technique for other things, or repairs, but never this application. You are kind of making a long hole saw without a pilot drill. You might even check with a machine tool dealer and see if something like this already exists. Bill Simon Phoenix
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