Rebuilding Tips

[Newton Hunt]

Anyone wanting to learn is not a subject for flaming.

Before removing anything make all the notes you think may be useful for
reproducing the original intent of the maker.

Before removing anything drill four holes in the plate and into the material
underneath.
      1. Drill two small holes, 1/16" or less through the plate and into the
pin block underneath, one hole in the far right front corner and one in the
bass front corner.  By measuring from the hole in the pin block to the rim and
to the stretcher at each end of the pinblock the new block can be positioned
very exactly.  These measurements should be written on the keybed to prefent
loss.  After the new block is fitted to the plate the holes can be drilled
through the plate into the new block to exactly duplicate the old position.
      2. Drill two holes through the plate into the rasten below about the
size of a tuning pin.  One hole near the low end of the treble bridge and one
hole near the high end of the treble bridge.  These holes, with a tuning pin
will relocate the plate precisely in the original position.
      After removing, numbering and putting the dampers in a rack of some
kind, measure and record the string heights at each end of each section.  Make
a paper pattern of the bass strings for your own use, and two if you plan to
send strings and pattern to string makers.  Maker particular note of the
lengths of the unwound ends of the strings if they are the original.
      Use a micrometer to measure the core the diameter of the bass strings
recording the data on a chart.
      If you wish to rescale or evaluate the scale of the piano measure the
speaking lengths of all the notes to within 1/2 mm.
      Mike the diameters of the steel strings.
      Get some mylar plastic sheeting of at lease .010 or greater, clear if
available and use this to make a pattern of the bridge holes after removing the
bridge pins.  Drill some small holes through the bridge cap and the soundboard
and use small nails to locate and hold the mylar while marking the hole
locations with a voicing needle through the mylar.  After the new cap in on
drill the holes back through the cap from the underside of the soundboard,
reattach the mylar and mark the bridte for drilling.
      I am sure some others will supply more details about other parts of
your project.  My point is do not take anything apart unless you have reference
points for exact replication.
      Good luck with your project.
            Newton
            nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu