[CAUT] Custom Pinblocks?

[Fred Sturm]

On May 5, 2009, at 7:06 PM, Mark Cramer wrote:

> (I'm still waiting for Pianotek to add a guide-rail sizing broach to  
> their
> inventory of things you can stick in the end of a hot soldering  
> iron... and
> why not? These are some of the good guys!)

	No need to wait, make your own. It takes all of 5-10 minutes. A small  
length of 1/4" brass rod (or whatever fits in your soldering iron).  
Centerpunch and drill a hole the right size for a pin (a bridge pin or  
a nail will work. Measure a damper wire and pick a size or two that  
are larger), Pound the pin in the hole. If the hole had to be a bit  
larger than the pin (available drill bit sizes vs pin sizes), swedge  
the pin a bit before pounding it in. Done. I have had a couple for  
years. John Hartman wrote about a number of heat tools maybe ten years  
ago, and I have made a few, including one to iron balance holes in  
keys, and an "umbrella-style" damper bushing easing tool. (The latter  
is a bit problematic, in that the heat dissipates too fast, so it  
doesn't stay hot enough to iron the felt of very many. It has to be  
long enough to go past the damper head and into the bushing, and  
that's just too long for such thin metal to conduct heat. It's easier  
to just heat the end of it with a lighter).
	BTW, I recently bought the soldering iron heat control Schaff sells  
(a gray box with its own cord, not the black box that plugs into the  
wall socket), and I like it a lot. I think it is more accurate and  
reliable than the black one or the in-line dimmer.
>
>
> So, what if:
>
> 2.) If he would consider radiusing the ribs for his pre-crowned  
> soundboards?

	I believe Nick Gravagne offers soundboards with radiused ribs, if my  
memory serves from when he still lived in NM and we visited his shop.  
Maybe he will chime in and confirm.
	In general terms. suppliers gear up when there is demand. Which means  
someone writes about something in the Journal, teaches about using it  
in classes, etc. Like Stanwood's various gizmos for measuring weight,  
which Pianotek picked up after a few years had gone by. I think there  
are plenty of people out there willing to gear up and sell, but only  
when it becomes profitable to do so (meaning there is demand).  
Persuade Marinelli that some jig or tool is worthwhile, and he'll  
probably add it to his classes and to his offerings. Same with a lot  
of other folks.

Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu