More bad news from this player restoration project. Upon removing the
lid to clean it up, I discovered the pinblock has largely separated
from the wooded frame. The glue joint has opened up from the top, with
a small gap on the bass side widening to about 3/4" on the treble end.
Removing the string tension allowed it to close perhaps 50%. I removed
a few of the looser tuning pins and did not notice any signs of cracks
on the interior of the holes.
Is it possible (or advisable) to reglue the pinblock to the back frame
members? If so, how would this be done? I didn't see it in Reblitz's
books. Is it necessary to remove the plate? If so, is it still
considered a good idea to drill alignment holes as Reblitz suggests?
It seems that might weaken the plate if done incorrectly.
Sorry for all the questions, but this has turned into a much larger
project than I had expected, as I was under the impression that the
piano was structurally intact. If it's still viable, I'd like to see
it through. On the other hand, I'd rather not spend a lot of time and
money if what I have is essentially a bunch of spare parts.
Mike Blackwell
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