Mike Concordia wrote:

> My tuner/technician says it is risky to re-string since there is no
> way to know for sure if cracking has occurred in some layers of the
> pin block and putting in a new pin block is very expensive.  Is it
> simply a gamble to re-string or are there some ways to tell if a pin
> block is bad?

There is no gamble here.  You need a more experienced technician.
I have found very few pin blocks in uprights that are not reusable.
The exceptions are a piano that has number 5/0 pins in it, meaning it
has been restrung a couple of times before.  And the other exception is
the piano that had water drip on the pinblock causing water damage.

In the last 30 years, I have yet to have any complaints about a pin
block going bad after stringing.  I have done quite a few in that time.
I replace about 90% of grand pin planks because of their being exposed
to air all around, while the pin block in an upright is protected by
being glued into the piano back timbers.

I can tell if there are cracks in a pin block by the pattern of loose
pins.  If there is a line of loose pins, there is a ply of the plank
that has a big crack in it.  Put chalk on every pin that is loose and
look to see if they line up in a line.  This is where the crack goes.

The cure, short of replacing the pin block, is plugging.  You may
drill out the loose pin holes and glue in a plug made of new pin plank
material.  Then drill a new hole for your new pin.  I don't charge but
a couple of hundred dollars extra for a new pin block, excluding cost
of the plank.  Plugging and replacement must be done with the plate
out, by the way.

If you restring, the biggest thing you want to do is recrown the
soundboard.  This takes care of all the cracks, and every piano has
them in the soundboard.  If you wish to talk to me further about this
email me.  I have photos of a pinblock replacement that I will have up
on my web site in the future, I hope soon.

This piano completely collapsed in the floor when I removed the plate.
All the back timbers came unglued and the soundboard had to be put back
together from about 20 pieces.  It plays like crazy now and sounds
great.  Its pin block was badly water damaged and I did not want to
risk reusing it.

D.L. Bullock    St. Louis
www.thepianoworld.com