Broadwood Grands

[Barrie Heaton]

In article <961201095055_1152055836@emout07.mail.aol.com>,
Maxpiano@aol.com writes
>Barrie -
>
>You are probably aware that most Americans fall head over heels in love with
>the used furniture you discard, load up containers with it and ship it here
>to sell as "Antiques."  In that way, we who service pianos get to see the
>dregs that you all are happy to get rid of.
The Company I used to work for exported about 40 pretty boxes with
strings in some people actually called them pianos.  However, the
Italians took some beating at buying rubbish, if it had a wall nut case
and full of woodworm the Italians would buy it.

>
>Over the years, I have had three customers who bought Broadwood grands of
>oblong tuning pin vintage, with plates made up of many bars exquisitely
>fashioned together and with threaded tuning pin holes.  When the tuning pins
>no longer hold, what do you do since you can't put in larger sizes?  One of
>them had had the pin block treated from beneath previous to my servicing it,
>and was at the point of slipping again.  Does anyone make tuning pins to fit
>them? (I twisted one off, having used CA glue in an attempt to make it stay,
>and got it too tight!).
The reason why some of the pins go loose is tuners instist on taking
them out and this loosens the thread.

I've seen old rag used, glue used, and the holes drilled out plugged
redrilled and convenonal tuning pins put in what a mess.

The two best solutions I've found is, wood resin this acts a bit like a
glue, but not much good in a dry climate.

PTFE tape has given me the best results.  I don't know what the American
equivalent would be but I'll describe it.  Its the tape plumbers use to
gain a water tight seal it is approximately half an inch wide and comes
in six foot rools it is as thick as cling film what you find in your
kitchen and has similar properties.  I cut an inch length and wrap it
round the threads of the pin then press firmly with my fingers and the
tape works its way down in to the thread I don;'t use it to the top of
the thread as it is white in colour and will show.  Carefully start to
turn the pin back in and you will find that it will get harder and
harder its a bit hit and miss on the length you cut to give you the
right feel and tension on the pin.  The end result is not bad its not as
jerky as using resin.

If you were going to use glue I would go for a contact adhesive as these
are rubber based and probably would work similar to the resin.

As I am aware there is no one making threaded oblong I have never had to
enquire as I have a small supply which I scavenged from an old Broadwood
wqhich we scrapped.  I will enquire at Broadwoods for you, but you are
probably better approaching a small local engineering company or do what
I do and contact your local college as tghey generally have an
engineering Department and are only too keen to do something out of the
unusual and are very reasonable as well.

Have fun and take care,

Barrie.


>
>I see you are well versed in our American culture, as you could instruct
>André on our Thanksgiving Day.  I hope the internationalising of this list
We had two American girls running round our local super market the other
day like headless chickens looking for some cranberry sauce I think it
was a day off from bible bashing:-)



>makes us all more cosmopolitan!
I agree there

>
>Bill Maxim RPT
>Who must admit being environmentally unfriendly to his neighbor, but only
>when he plays his out-of-tune piano!
>





--

Barrie Heaton                                  |  Be Environmentally Friendly
URL: http://www.airtime.co.uk/forte/piano.htm  |  To Your Neighbour
The UK PIano Page                              |
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