Re: Epoxy on Tracker Bar Nipples
By Robbie Rhodes
Terry Smythe tells a good Horror Story! I bet that the well-intentioned rebuilder damaged the original (Themodist) tracker bar while trying to remove the old lead tubing. Probably several nipples broke loose from the tracker bar, and when he attempted to solder them back into place matters _really_ got worse! So he substituted a transposing tracker bar taken from a contemporary player. The extra hole on the left side is to operate the re-roll or motor shut-off function.
From Terry's description it sounds like the player is an early Themodist; since it has a 3-tier stack instead of a 2-tier stack it was probably installed in one of Aeolian's better-grade pianos. Hence it deserves consideration, at least, of restoration to its original configuration. It will need an original Themodist tracker bar, or a well-made replica.
Question for the techs: Is there an alternative sealant for the (new) lead tubing where it enters the manifold board by the valve?
Shellac seems okay to seal a nipple to the wood when supple rubber hose is used -- then the shellac won't crack. But there's a lot of incidental vibration on the lead tubing connecting the spool box and tracker bar to the action stack, and I fear that a shellac seal would crystallize sooner or later. Is there a non-crystalline sealant, such as rubber cement, which is suitable (and proven)?
Robbie Rhodes
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(Message sent Sun 29 Dec 1996, 08:20:41 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.) |
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