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More on Bridges
By Craig Brougher

In certain old Aeolian upright player pianos or D/A reproducers, I
have noticed that the bridge pins close to the treble notch, on the
tenor side of the bridge is broken out because there just isn't enough
wood left to support them. There also isn't enough room between the
bridge wood and the plate to add an "end cap" of some kind for wood
support, either. It is a definite flaw caused by sloppy plate
installation. The piano plate has been installed in some of these
pianos too far to the left, and they just chiseled off the end of their
tenor bridge and hoped.

   It doesn't make any sense at all to tear off the treble bridge and
build a new one from scratch because it would do the same thing! So now
what do you do when there isn't enough wood left to even support a pin?
Remember, you can't even get three sheets of paper between the chopped
end of the bridge and the plate support.

   Enter J-B Weld. It is the strongest Epoxy you can buy in small,
sensible quantities. Drill the pin holes deeper, fill the broken part
of the bridge with J-B Weld, stick extra long bridge pins into the
holes, but with mold release sprayed on them, and just let the epoxy go
where it's going to go until everything's dry. Pull the pins (with much
trouble), and chisel the surface flat. (You can't get a file in there).
Replace the pins, and you have a VERY permanent and excellent bridge.

Craig B.



(Message sent Fri, 8 Nov 96 15:50:57 UT , from time zone +0000.)

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