[CAUT] pin-block plugging?

[Jim Busby]

All,

All this talk of plugging has me questioning (maybe this had been addressed) why not replace the block? Or do a "partial replacement"? Is the original question about doing this to avoid destringing? And what about "partial replacements"? If more than a few hole are bad does this not question the entire block, or at least a section?

I didn't believe in "partial replacements" until I met a few people who do this regularly and found that it is quite easy to do. While I prefer to do the whole block, (especially in grands) I've found this especially good/easy for uprights, where it is NOT as easy to do a whole block replacement. Rout out a hole, replace the nasty block section with new, epoxy it in... (not rocket science) Use the Nossaman Hovercraft to drill (piece of cake), done! Has this been discussed?

Jim Busby

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred Sturm
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 5:20 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] pin-block plugging?

Hi Mark,
            I did a bit of plugging many years ago. I was wary of 3/8", so I tried 7/16 (got a plug cutter and made my own). Results were disappointing. I am with Ron N on this. Think about it: what you end up with is a fairly thin veneer glued between the block and the pin. And the veneer is mostly end grain glued to end grain. How stable is that likely to be? With 1/2", you do have a chance, but I don't think it is really a viable/reliable fix. Judging by my experiences with plugging for stripped screw holes (log to lid, for instance), I find that you really need a lot of plug wood for the repair to last. Too little wood, and the screw just pulls out splinters, even of hard wood. For a small screw, I might get away with as small as 3/8", but even that is pushing it. Routing out and inserting a panel is the way to go, with those troublesome angled pinblocks and the like. Granted, if it is just a few pins, I'd likely experiment. But if I were pulling the plate, I'd think about routing out larger areas.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu<mailto:fssturm at unm.edu>



On May 4, 2009, at 2:50 PM, Mark Cramer wrote:


Thanks David,

This is valuable information. I'd wondered about boring from underneath to get a good plug size. There are good portable right-angled portable drills out there, but I worried about my ability to drill a good hole free-hand.

Fortunately this instrument is in the building, so we'll have it moved into the shop over summer, pull the plate and install about a dozen ½" plugs.

BTW, this piano has 2/0 pins that were feeling a bit loose over winter, with about a dozen 4/0 mystery pins that gave up altogether. So it's likely an ideal candidate for spot-plugging, and I'm relieved to know that you and several others have had success with the ½" plugs.

Thanks,
Mark C.


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