Schaff/Brass Repair Clips

[Sy Zabrocki]

List: from Sy Zabrocki

Today I made a repair on an upright brass rail using the brass repair clip
on a broken tongue. Notice this was a broken tongue, not the common broken
butt plate. This prompted the following topic.

Three years ago I had a friendly dispute with Schaff Supply over their Brass
Rail Repair Clip item No. 513A now on page 99 of their new catalog. The item
is
described . . .
REPAIR CLIPS
For use when the tongue is broken at the groove. One-half of the
old groove is used, and the broken part replaced by the repair
clip.

In my opinion sentence above is not correct and this item will not repair a
tongue when broken at the groove. If you file the tongue down through the
screw hole, then No. 513A will make the repair.

By phone in 1996 I tried to tell someone at Schaff about this error and this
person just did not believe me. I WAS DETERMINED TO PROVE MY POINT.

I was able to find a 20 year old catalog which back then listed these
items at I remembered. I sent Schaff a copy of this page along with my
drawing of the TYPE A repair clip which repairs when the tongue is broken at
the groove. About 10 days later I received a call from Schaff. This person
said they had looked back and agreed I was correct. They said the TYPE A
clip is no longer available.

TYPE A: was used when the tongue is broken at the groove (extinct)
TYPE B: used when the tongue is broken at the screw hole.
Then there were the KA and KB repair clips for use on Kimballs.

Just today I did a repair on a tongue broken at the groove with an old TYPE
A (now not available). I still have 7 of these old clips left. When they are
gone they're gone.

As mentioned above, you can make Item 513A work when the tongue is broken at
the groove but you must file down the tongue further to the screw hole.

Schaff, Am. Piano Supply and all the rest also do not have the old TYPE A.

I still have the old catalog page if anyone would want a copy. It could be
scanned and attached to an e-mail.

Sy Zabrocki
Billings, Montana