[CAUT] new front pins

[G Cousins]

From: fssturm at unm.edu
To: caut at ptg.org
Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 18:27:35 -0600
Subject: Re: [CAUT] new front pins



On May 12, 2009, at 4:28 PM, G Cousins wrote:
Encountered this before. One time plugged everything, drilled & re-pinned  Scale of 1-10 a 7 job and a 20 pain
Other time routed a full length insert. Much more better. Scale 9 job  5 pain.
You may be able to figure out some sort of wooden bushing like a t-pin bushing but that may be more trouble than worth 



I definitely don't want to go to the trouble of plugging and drilling, or doing an insert. This is a matter of wanting to replace "not so bad but iffy" pins with new WNG ones (while doing a fairly complete keys/action rebuild). WNG has a .131" shank, original are .150. I've been toying with some way of bushing the holes, with thin veneer, sandpaper, or just paper. 
So far my thinnest veneer comes up about .005" too thick, which might compress to make a tight fit, but getting the veneer and pin both in the hole is hard, maybe impossible. 220 sandpaper is a fairly snug fit, and goes in with a bit of finagling, but the result is a pin that can be turned with finger pressure - too lose. 180 seems very promising. It's a little touchy cutting just the right width strip, and then getting it to curl with the sand outward, to get it in the hole. I have found that curling it around a nail smaller than the shank of the new front pin works well. The sand holds the paper in place while driving the pin. I left a little ridge (1 mm or so) above the hole (level of the front rail) as an aid to getting the pin into the paper. And just left the pin a little high. Seems nice and snug
So maybe I have answered my own question (thinking it over while tuning a piano after sending the post, then getting home and experimenting with ideas). Any comments about possible flaws would be welcome.
 Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu

Fred,
Is there a reason the pins are undersized? Vintage? Not OEM?
 
Thoughts:
 Maybe epoxy the holes (West System or similar) then redrill to new deminsions.  Sounds like a PITA but under the budget category fairly straight forward.
 I know that Bruce Clark (WNG)was mentioning about nylon inserts for front rails at MARC. Believe they were for front pins but don't recall all the detaiils.  
 Finally run this by Mike Morvan (Blackstone Valley Piano) He might have a reasonably priced solution rather than DIY.  Good source for keywork and HIGHLY recomended. 
Regards,
Gerry C
West CHester University
gcousins at wcupa.edu
 
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