Hitch Pins

[Les Smith]

>
> What material should be used to replace a broken hitch pin?  Supply house
> catologs don't list them.   I've already drilled it out, but want to make
> sure it doesn't happen again.
>
> Any and all information would be appreciated.
>
> Tim Coates

Hi, Tim. The best material is cast iron and the last time I looked re-
placement hitch pins were available from American. It's best NOT to drill
out the old one until you have the replacement in hand, because if you
make the hole too large you can really run into problems, especially if
you're in a place where the case interfers with your being able to drill
out the old one at the proper angle. All it takes is one or two broken
hitch pins in an inaccessible part of the case to point up the necessity
of ALWAYS making sure that the string is seated at the base of the hitch
pin before trying to pull it up to pitch whether restringing an entire piano
or just replacing one broken string. Here's hoping that yours IS accessible
and that you are able to find cast iron replacements because most other
materials will eventually fail. Good luck!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net