Loose Tuning Pins
By Charles Flaum
Craig Brougher writes:
> The worst thing that can be done to a grand is to pound the pins down
> into an old, dry plank when they start getting loose. Unless the piano
> action is removed and the old plank supported very well, this will
> destroy the plank every single time by cracking it through its
> laminations. It is _far worse_ to pound pins than even to use the
> so-called pin tightener fluids, because you cannot re-pin after pins
> have been pounded without support.
Really!?! Please, Craig -- give me a little credit. Not only will an unsupported block definitely crack, but you've got a damn good chance of cracking the plate. I know, because I do quite a few insurance appraisals and have seen what incompetent technicians can do.
Regarding your statement "I use Pin-Tie for pin driving fluid. Have been using it now for about 31 years. "
While it is true that many rebuilds and manufacturers use pin driving fluid (I use eggshell varnish) or powder (Steinway uses a substance called French Talc), you are the first person I've ever heard of using Pin-Tite. I don't claim to know anything about Pin-Tite's chemical composition. However, of all the other substances I've heard of being used as pin drivers, Pin-Tite is the only one whose primary function is to increase the torque of a tuning pin. Why you need to do that in a new block is beyond me, unless your drilling technique requires it. Quite frankly, my pins come out tight enough and if I used a substance that increased torque I'd be afraid of snapping off pins in the first chipping.
Though it is true that pinblocks go through fluctuations due to humidity changes, most manufacturers have deemed it enough to use shellac on the blocks' outer surfaces. A well-drilled pinblock should last a minimum of 25 years without any additional tightening substances.
Charles Flaum, RPT
CMF Piano Accessories
tel 914-928-3721 cmf@infi-net.com
fax 914-928-3417 www.infi-net.com/pianostuff |
(Message sent Sun 2 Mar 1997, 18:05:23 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
|
|
Mechanical
Music Digest™ Archives
