Paul said: "Funny this question came in today... last evening I submitted a contribution to TT&T about action cradles. The action cradle I use the most is an older style which has compression connector fittings. The fittings screw into the clamp block, and the conduit legs are held in quite securely by the compression fitting. I just leave mine in all the time. I would imagine you could tap out the current hole for the 1/2" conduit or not, in order to retrofit compression connectors. If not, you could either drive a 1/2" dowel into the leg to prevent the set screw from being able to flatten the conduit, and/or drill a little dimple into the conduit for the set screw to settle into. I also put a washer on the stud between the wingnut and the clamping block... makes it much much easier to tighten it down securely without pliers." Paul, et al As long as we're making improvements...Another would be to glue, (pvce) a strip of action cloth in the "half round" that the pivot tube rests on. You will be able to tighten it tighter, (so it won't move when you're working on the action), and it will pivot smoother, when you back off the "set screw/bolt/wing nut. The real problem is Aluminum against steel. I suspect the originals were all steel.<G> Another thing with the most recent version from Schaff, the "U" walls are way too thick for Spinets, etc., so I ground down the outer, inside part of the "U" so that the wall is thinner, making it possible to fit between the first and last wippens and the action bracket. Of course with this, YMMV.<G> Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain of the Tool Police Squares R I
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC