>I have just encountered my first piano with a cracked plate. My >questions are 1) just how dangerous is this (the piano is still under >tenstion... >but has not been tuned for awhile or has not been able to hold >pitch) >2) what should I do... Laurence, I take it you have no knowledge of the last attempted tuning on the piano or whether the crack is actually the reason for its inability to hold a tune? So, if you want to feel completely safe on this matter, lower the pitch considerably until you and the customer decide a course of action. FYI: I have tuned pianos with small cracks in the plate, and they are still in use and holding. >3) is there any viable repair... There have been articles in the past of sucessfully repairing plates. >4) the piano is a Schnabel, so is it at all reasonable to search for a >replacement plate? Don't know the name Schnabel, so I can't help you there. >I have heard of pianos exploding in the past, so I locked up the cabinate >so that no one will be encouraged to play it, and set off any unfortunate >accidents. That was an considerate thing to do for now, Laurence. >...However, the exploding part is frightening. The reference to this phenomina, I believe, is when a significant crack actually occurs while you are there on location. Like a rifle shot is how the late Danny Boone described his experience to me. Definitely caught his attention! Keith A. McGavern, RPT kam544@ionet.net Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
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