Broken agraffe

[Tim Keenan & Rebecca Counts]

Rolland Miller wrote:
<snip>
>....  If you do damage
> the t[h]reads you can drill/retap the hole for a 3/8th inch bolt.  Cut
> off a section of the bolt the depth of the agraffe hole -  drill/tap
> in the center of the bolt section to accept an agraffe. 

I've never had the problem (knock on wood) but I wondered right away if a 
helicoil, such as those used to replace stripped stud or sparkplug 
threads in a cast-iron engine block would do the job.  I don't know why 
it shouldn't, presuming they are available with the right combination of 
threads and hole sizes. It works the same way as the 
retapping/plugging-with-a-bolt/drilling/retapping scenario, only a lot 
less headache.  I'm kind of surprised that no one sells them in piano 
supply catalogs.

Any of you old hats ever heard of anyone using a helicoil, or any reason 
why not to?

Tim Keenan
Noteworthy Piano Service
Terrace, BC