Stringing Scales/least of problems

[William Bailer]

On Thu, 22 Aug 1996, William C Sadler wrote:

>>>Don't you just hate it when someone goes through the trouble of
>>> putting in a new pinblock and then drives the pins in so deep that
>>>the strings hit the plate.

>At 8/21/96 6:51 PM, James E DeRocher wrote:
>> get a bolt of proper diameter, length about 2 ", pull out the action,
>> stick the bolt up into the pin block, tap with metal end of 5 lb sledge,
>> until you have raised the pin the requisite 3/32 or so.

>Cool......I mean I thought about this but to have you put it in writing
>(and actually done it) is well...........cool.  I will try this one.

To William Sadler, and All,
I have had a similar experience, which I can "put in writing":
A 20 year-old Steinway grand, with entire treble section pounded down to
the plate.  The pins were very tight.  I used a method similar to James
DeRocher, with the following variations:
1.  I did not use a bolt.  An ordinary bolt will not due, it will bend
or squash out ("mushroom") on the ends.  Also, the effective diameter of
a bolt is less than that of a rod because of the threads.  I f you must
use a bold, use an SAE bolt with fine threads (like those used in
engines)-- they are much stronger.  A good, hard bold will have 2 or 3
radial marks on the head, the more marks the better.  No marks means
"very soft", and one mark means strong, but soft.  I used a piece of
unhardened drill rod from my scrap heap, a loose slip fit in the wood.
2.  I tride vice grips, but orientation was difficult, and the mass of
the tool obsorbed hammer shock, restricting the effectiveness of the
hammer blows.  I resorted to a thin piece of Baltic Birch plywood, the
rod driven through a tight hole.  I used the side of a 3 pound pin
driving hammer, but considering the restrictions on the space to move
the hammer, a 5 pound may be better if you have one (again, use the side
of the hammer head for more travel distance).
3.  Pitch drops sporadically during this operation.  Raise and tune.
4.  Results: excellent, pins not as tight, but still very tight.

Now, a question:  why would anyone drive tight pins down?
I have seen it many times, although rarely whole sections.

A speculation:  inexperienced tuners who blame their poor pin setting on
loose pins.  I have sometimes checked bad unisons in such pianos only to
find that in the vicinity of the pounded pins, some of the deviant
pitched strings have gone UP in pitch.  How do you tell someone (for for
whom you are just giving an estimate, or conculting) that the pins are
fine, and that his tuner may BE the problem?

Bill Bailer

\\\  William Bailer ("Bill")
\\\  Rochester, NY, USA;  Phone (voice): 716-473-9556
\\\  wbailer@concentric.net (same mailbox as wbailer@cris.com)
\\\  Some interests: acoustics, JS Bach, anthropology, & pianos.