Brass Rail Clips? On Lyon and Healy Upright?

[Larry J Messerly]

Bill, good to hear from you.

There is a technique for annealing the brass that requires removing the
brass rail, heating to a specified temperature and then cooling.  It may
be in the archives.  This seems to make the brass new again, and less
prone to breaking.

Larry Messerly

On Tue, 20 Jun 2000 10:49:43 EDT BSimon999@AOL.COM writes:
> I am looking for some advice on solving a problem.
> 
> A very nice poverty struck customer who with best intentions bought 
> a 1908 
> Lyon and Healy upright for a hundred dollars, "for the kid to earn 
> on".
> 
> I was called to tune it after the first 5 brass rail tabs broke off. 
> The 
> action is the problem, the rest of the piano is remarkably good. 
> Brass rail 
> clips do not work well on this particular piano's brass rail 
> geometry,  
> raising the hammer butt over an eight of an inch. No normal repair 
> flanges 
> fit to the screw hole and centerpin line. I have been removing the 
> section of 
> brass rail of just a particular note and using Billings flanges 
> beaten flat 
> to repair it, but it is a clunky repair and is not that easy to do.
> 
> Has anyone successfully  dealt with a Lyon and Healy having this 
> problem?  
> (Out of curiosity only, is there a good source for brass rail clips? 
> )
> 
> Has anyone ever removed the brass rail completely and replaced it 
> with wood 
> flanges.
> If you did, what kind of time did it take? A certain amount of Pro 
> Bono work 
> is usual for me,  but this one could get out of hand in a blink. My 
> preference is to find a physical solution for the action problem and 
> show the 
> fellow how to do it himself, for he is very handy.
> 
> Any advice? I hate for the piano to be lost for want of a flange 
> solution.
> 
> Thank You,
> Bill Simon