[pianotech] bridle wires

[David Nereson]

     Thanks one and all for the replies on bridle wires (the 
dumb ones Baldwin came up with for their Hamilton studios and 
some other models).  If one is going to glue them, not 
anticipating having to hook and unhook them much, I find that 
the glue has to go on the underside of the tab, or eventually 
the tab will work loose and still slide down the wire.
    Of the various kinds of glue, several types stick to the 
wire pretty well, namely hot melt, as Tom Driscoll mentioned, 
white glue, as Ryan Sowers mentioned, Barge glue and Duco 
cement, which I've tried.  Wood glue is OK, not great.  For all 
of them, best results are obtained by turning the action upside 
down so the glue doesn't run down the wire.  As David Ilvedson 
suggested, yes, I suppose the wires could be bent, but then it's 
really hard to hook/unhook the bridles.
    The shrink tube solution seems best.  Thanks again.

    Side note:  Tuned a spinet the other day that didn't have 
any bridles at all.  That's OK as long as you never have to 
remove the action.  Maybe they only expected it to last 10 years 
or so.
    --David Nereson, RPT