screw holders

[David Ilvedson]

What still annoys me to this day is the upright action cradle.   The U shaped hunk of steel with the threaded rod for tightening down on the action bracket isn't at a perfectly flat 90 degrees.   So the cradle vears off one way or the other.   Does anyone make a better one?   I have seen and bought the Pianotek red things and their alright but I really like the action cradle.

David I.



----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: Dave Nereson <davner@kaosol.net>
To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Fri, 8 Oct 2004 01:10:01 -0600
Subject: Re: screw holders


>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "J Patrick Draine" <draine@comcast.net>
>To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 11:42 AM
>Subject: screw holders


>> What are the rest of you doing for screw holders? The Schaff "rigid shaft 
>> screwholder" (#874) is next to useless for removing/replacing hammer 
>> flanges screws in vertical piano actions. My old ones which looks the 
>> same, from Apsco or Tuners Supply, worked fine, but I lost them (on some 
>> customer's floor no doubt). The current (unless they redesigned since I 
>> complained to a staffer at Nashville) Schaff version doesn't open wide 
>> enough to release the screw properly. Anyone buy one recently that is 
>> acceptable?
>> How about other models at other suppliers that you're satisfied with??
>> Patrick Draine
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>>

>    I think I got mine from the old Tuner's Supply and it's pretty good, 
>i.e., about the right size for flange screws, but also works (kinda, sorta) 
>on screws much smaller and much larger.  I'd like to have another one but 
>all the ones I see available now are either too big to fit between action 
>parts or the grabber part is so strong it will tear off chunks of finger or 
>they're too stiff to operate  or they're built for retrieving bolts lost 
>down in the bowels of car engines!  Then there's the real small type which I 
>seldom use.
>    The main problem with my old ("good") one is that the screw gets knocked 
>sideways too easily (pointing off at a right angle instead of straight 
>ahead).
>    This is another example of one of my pet peeves:  pianos have been 
>around for 300 years, but many of the tools available for working on them 
>are just terrible!  And the supply houses (one large one comes to mind) 
>continue to sell mediocre tools, tools that break the first time you use 
>them (shank/hammer head pullers), tools that don't quite work (vertical 
>backcheck benders, spoon benders), tools that are meant for doing things 
>that quality rebuilders frown on (key button swaging tool), tools that are 
>way bigger, heavier, and clunkier than they need be, tools that are built 
>too lightly for their intended purpose, etc. etc.
>    The advent of Pianotek and a few of the other smaller suppliers in 
>recent decades has helped some, but, like the guy said, why isn't there a 
>decent screw grabber that works??!!
>    --David Nereson, RPT
> 


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