Machinists The Results

[Carl Meyer]

Hello!  Rootin' tootin' Newton;

I'm glad those spacers worked for you.  I did that just for fun, so I'm not
going to bill you.  Your offer of a barrel of beer is kind of you.  Could
you have it mounted about ten feet off the ground so gravity would take over
and I wouldn't have to suck so hard.  If I can find a junky with an IV
perhaps we can bypass the digestive tract  so I won't get a sour stomach.

Those spacers were what I had in my spacer junk box.  Actually spacers are
available in just about any length and diameter and material.  As I think
about it, the optimum size might be 3/4 inch long, 3/16 dia., with a #2
clearance hole.  Drilling a hole through both ends and using a #2 or 4 screw
would do nicely.  To keep down weight a 1/8 inch slotted set screw would do.
Might be hard to find though.  An allen set screw would require an allen
wrench that most techs wouldn't have.  Any short screw would do.  It's just
hard to find that kind of hardware in your corner hardware store.
It is unfortunate that small stuff like this is not economically marketed.

Regards

Carl Meyer




----- Original Message -----
From: Newton Hunt <nhunt@optonline.net>
To: MPT <MPT@talklist.com>; <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 3:38 AM
Subject: Machinists The Results


> Dear Friends, Especially Carl Meyer,
>
> Below is an attached image of one of the six the pieces Carl Meyer made
for me.
>
> I love this list, each of us willing to help the others in areas we are
best at!
>
> This is exactly what I wanted.  Now that I have them in hand I would like
to see the
> next batch maybe 3/4" long instead of 1/2" for better long term
adjustability but
> this is what I needed now and they will work superbly.
>
> > I'm sending you today 3 hex and 3 round spacers drilled and tapped for
4-40
> > screws.  I couldn't find 1/8 inch long screws, so I sent 1/4 inch.
> >
> > The round spacers are brass and weigh twice as much as the alum hex. the
> > alum weigh about 1 gram w/o screws.
> >
> > Cheers!  You can buy me a beer at Reno.  No lite beer please.
>
> I will buy you a barrel of beer with a long straw so you can walk all
around and suck
> up as much as you like. :)
>
> In the image the coupler is rotated 90 degrees for illustration purposes
but I am
> sure you all get the point.
>
> There are several points I would like to bring out on this thread.  First
>
> Robert Streicher
> Box 39
> Pond Eddy, NY 12770
> 570-559-7403
>
> is an excellent resource to have available since he makes player parts. He
casts and
> machines Ampico transmission frames.
>
> > Have you considered popping the flange off the rail and removing
> > the broken screw? This would not destroy the damper wire.
>
> This is a 1912 S&S M with old and fragile parts.  Even popping off the
flange would
> not solve the problem of getting the screw out of the barrel.  I did think
about
> splitting the top flange but I still would have hand to cut the wire to
get it out to
> work on it.  Not an option I considered for long.
>
> > Maybe it's just time for a new Renner USA back action.
>
> Nice thought but not at this time for the customer.
>
> > How about making multiple bends with wire bending pliers to take up the
slack?
>
> I worked on this, sitting in front of the TV and playing with some 10
gauge house
> wringing.  The bends have to be made left, right, right, left.  The
problems are
> two.  First the pinning would have been stressed way, way beyond
acceptable
> tolerances especially for old parts.  Second making exactly the same
amount of bend
> each of the four times if impossible with the tools I have which is an
absolute
> requirement for maintaining parallelity (?) of the two segments.  Finally
making such
> bends takes up a lot of wire length which may or may not be available.
>
> Now if someone were to make some squeeze once pliers...
>
> > Or cutting/scraping off some of the bottom of the underlever?
>
> This was done in the S&S factory several years ago, much to their regret.
One of the
> dampers is about 1/8" low which would be far too much material to remove.
Not quite
> a craftsmanship approach.
>
> Mr. Ide has also sent a set of six and I will scan one of those as well.
>
> We now have a solution to a vexing problem, one that I have seen six times
in 35
> years of work but it is out there nonetheless.
>
> Need does help creativity.
>
> Thank you all, one and each, for your ideas, encouragement, generosity and
> thoughtfulness.
>
>                 Newton
>


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