I’ve Got a Screw Loose

I opened my closet door a month ago and found that the handle was loose.

Looking closer I see that the screws are a bit loose and need to be tightened. Today I went to open the closet door, as I have every day for the past month, and guess what? It’s still got screws loose. The handle wiggles, and it’s exactly the way it was last month when I discovered this. Maybe it was six months ago, to be honest I’m not sure how long it’s been this way. It’s my own lack of motivation that keeps this problem from changing. I know it’s not going to fix itself but for some reason I can’t bring myself to change the situation.

Two weeks ago I was in Bern Switzerland listening to Ian Bousfield test equipment I’d hand carried over from Elkhorn. Comparing equipment I started hearing a click, or maybe it was a clack. We continued to play test and the click and clack continued from the depths of his 4147IB. It was not going away!

Knowing that I’m the guy that’s supposed to be able to fix things I decided to stop ignoring the sound and I dove in.

Looking over the instrument carefully, I quickly decided that the issue was not from anywhere but the rotor area. Ian was clear in saying that it’s been doing “this” for a while and he’s not sure where the sound is coming from. After two minutes I find a rotor screw that holds down his stop arm has backed out a couple thousandths and is making the annoying noise. After grabbing a screw driver and remembering that old principle “righty tighty” the sound magically goes away.

What was left after this turning of the screw was nothing but music, and resonance. Sometimes all it takes is the initiative to not ignore the problem.

Please don’t tell my wife I wrote this blog, she might make me actually fix that closet door.