[Harp-L] Loose tacks

[pneupco2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I just got a really nice pre-war Marine Band. It’s very clean and
rust-free. There is, however, a lot of 75 year old dust on top of the
reed plates. It will be easy to take the coverplates off, but how do I
get the tacks to hold tight once I put everything back together? Nails
hold by friction, and when you pull a nail, this friction is reduced a
whole lot causing the nails to pull out easily. I’m not going to glue
toothpicks in the holes because then the nails won’t go in exactly the
same as before and so the coverplates will be crooked (I’ve tried this
before).  Does anybody have any ideas?
Thanks for any help or advice.
Paul N.

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