Brass Rail Clips? On Lyon and Healy Upright?

[Mark Dierauf]

  Best luck I've ever had was with Apsco's repair flanges (#24503 pg. 77 in
their newest catalog). If you're very lucky, the brass rail will have a
mounting screw corresponding to each hammer-butt. If you're unlucky then
you'll have to remove the  rail and mark and drill for them, plugging and
relocating old holes as necessary to achieve the correct geometry. If the
piano is otherwise worth saving then this is a worthwhile way to spend an
afternoon.
  An oldtimer who was a great help to me in my earlier days used to anneal
intact brass rails in his coal furnace for me. I would then replace the butt
plates as a matter of course, but this only works *before* the tabs start to
break on their own. After this, you're better off in the long run replacing
the rails alltogether.

- Mark

>
> 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.
>