> From: RHayno@aol.com
>
> Subject: phillips screws in an antique.
>
> The ugliest thing you will ever see in an antique anything is a phillips
> screw.  A player piano with a phillips screw in it is a screwed up player
> piano.

But, what if it plays really well, and the player is a plain ol' 80/88 note
nothing fancy type player?  Screwed up player is a bit strong here in my
opinion.  I agree with your previous sentence.  There are varied schools
of thought on whether a piano is an antique or not however.

>   I sure hope the guy who recommended changing all the screws to phillips
> does not work on anything of value like an orchestrian or music box.
> Imagine opening up a fine Swiss music box and seeing shiny modern phillips
> screws staring out at you.  YUK.

First off, I didn't say anything about replacing all of the screws in the
entire piano and I'm sorry you got that impression from my post.  Secondly
the post was about a player piano being difficult to pump even after it
had been fully rebuilt.  Nothing was said about swiss music boxes, or any
other type of instrument.  Although I feel you're point is to be taken
seriously, I don't feel my post had anything to do with degrading the
antique value of music boxes or orchestians.

What if you were to replace the phillips with the originals after all the
tedious work of adjusting the valves was finished?  This not only saves
some time, but saves wear on the originals for those of you who need to
have that level of repair.  I personally won't do that level of work.  I'd
rather pass that type of work off to someone such as yourself.   I admire
your yen for original detail.  You must really do a nice job!  I don't
have the clientele that will pay that kind of money for that level of
restoration on a player piano.  Orchestrians and music boxes are a whole
new field when it comes to restoration.  No, I don't put phillips screws
in them, and I have no desire to.   However, when it comes to adjusting
valves in the valve chest on a player piano, I don't have three days to
devote to turning slotted head screws by hand.  My wrists won't take it.
Phillips screws speed up the process immensely, and when the customer is
paying me by the hour, they'll accept the phillips screws EVERY TIME.
I'm out here in the field dealing with those who are paying me to provide
them with the kind of service they want.  If I try to sell them what I want
them to have, sometimes I loose the customer and the job.

I respect your desire to do really nice work and I 've seen such restorations.
They have their place out in the market place, but so far, 100% of my
customers have been "generic player pianos" and they just want the thing
repaired so it plays again without a lot of expense.  A really special piece
like an art case Duo or special order Ampico are going to be owned by someone
that wants a really special job and will pay a really special person a
really special price to achieve a totally remarkable restoration.  I never
see these requests and have every intention to pass them off to someone
that is willing to work for the love the piece rather than try to actually
make a living at it.

I respect your love for the old and your desire to keep things looking
like they've never been "violated".  I don't wish this posting to create
any ill feelings amongst those of you who really go all out to make your
work truly remarkable.  I decided a long time ago that I can't make a
living doing that level of work for such a small market.  ( in this area
anyway )  I have other work that pays much better and so a balance must be
found.  Those customers that are willing to pay for a basic rebuild as
opposed to a restoration, I'll do the work for.  I'm beginning to loose
those jobs lately, however, because the price is getting to be too high
and materials are getting harder to find.  So, I have to either work for
less, move faster, or find cheaper materials.  It's ending up being a
combination of all three.  It won't be long and I'll not be doing these
jobs anymore.  Hobbyists will be doing the majority of them, evenings
(typically), you know, after a full day of actually making a living doing
something else.

I appreciate your point that you made and will consider this viewpoint in
the future.

Good luck to all of you and happy holidays.

                         Larry Fisher, Metro Portland, Or.
                    Factory Preferred Installer for PianoDisc Products
                     phone 360-256-2999 or Email larryf@pacifier.com
                  live life with variety and stare adversity in the eye!