Poor key morticing

[Richard Brekne]

Ah yes...

The ol <<top of the balance rail hole is to tight/high>> syndrom.  
Causes all kinds of nasty problems.  Only one thing for it.. and that is 
to bore/ream it out to the appropriate dimensions.

There is a kind of reamer available for this job that fits universal 
regulating handles.  And I am sure you can get a standalone hand tool 
too.  Problem is that it might be difficult to get in past the 
bushings.  So you may end up with a rebushing job as well.

You can always try and widen the holes out by some home made contrivance 
if this is a low budjet job.  Bang to obong a balance rail pin, sharpen 
the edges a bit and mount it in a hand tool.... etc.

I run into this problem quite a bit with Petrofs and some other eastern 
European makes.

Cheers
RicB

Mike Bratcher wrote:

> Yes, I am aware of how to ease a hole properly, but easing isn't the 
> problem here.  The problem here is that when the key was manufactured 
> they left too much wood in the top part of the balance hole.  If I 
> were to just ease the hole, I would not be correcting the problem.  
> The key is "teetering" on a pin, so if the bottom of the balance rail 
> hole is resting on the punching the top of the hole will wedge against 
> the pin.  Now the top of "that" hole needs to have clearance when the 
> key is depressed.  When I say top of "that" hole, I don't mean the top 
> of the key button.  I'm talking about one sixteenth to one eighth of 
> an inch above the balance rail hole.  The wood here is about one 
> eighth.  There needs to be clearance at the top of that hole roughly 
> an arch, to clear the pin.  Otherwise the pin will be bending. And, 
> yes Terry they are all tight(pins in the balance rail that is).  
> Normal Key easing in this area will size the hole, but it will not 
> address the problem at the top of the hole.  My easing tool if used to 
> try this will damage the hole and create more problems.
>
> Mike Bratcher
> -