Pin Dope

[Les Smith]

>
> I was called to tune a piano last week in which the pin block is so
> bad that a slight jar of the pin by my hammer causes the pitch to
> lower a couple of half-steps.  Hammering the pins doesn't help.  I've
> never used pin dope, and I'm wondering if it would be worth trying as
> a "last attempt"?  The piano is an old upright, and the family would
> like to have it working for their child to practice on.   What tool
> do I need to inject the liquid into the block?  Do I remove the pins
> first, or just try to inject it in under pressure of some kind.
> Every pin except the base notes will need it....
>
> /Allen

Applying the pin dope is the EASY part, the difficult part is that in
order for it to work on an upright piano, the instrument must first be
laid down on it's back, and if it's one of those old 600+ lb uprights
make sure that you have help doing it. However, don't just lay it flat
on the floor! If you don't have access to a piano tilter or a hand truck,
at least place some blocks of wood underneath it so that you can get your
hands under it when it's time to raise it back to the upright position.
Garfield's Pin Block Restorer is highly recommended. Before it's used it's
usually diluted with an equal amount of alcohol. The supply houses sell some-
thing called a hypo-oiler which is simply a plastic squeeze bottle with a
hollow needle as an applicator. Use this to apply the pin tightener to the
base of the pins. Go over them until they won't accept anymore tightener
and let the piano sit for a week. With the piano still on it's back, try
your tuning hammer on a number of pins to check their tightness. If they're
as loose as you say, you'll probably find that you need to repeat the pro-
ceedure again. With patience they all should eventually tighten up enough
so that the piano can be tuned. AFTER the first couple of applications have
had a chance to do their job, and if you have enough room between the string
coil and the plate, you might want to also try setting the pins a little
deeper into the pinblock. BTW, apply the Garfield's to ALL the pins. If
two thirds of the pins are loose, you can bet that the other third's think-
ing about doing the same thing! Lastly, to repeat what I said earlier, make
sure that you have plenty of help when you set the piano down on it's back
and again when you raise it back to it's upright position. You need at least
two other strong people to help you, or you run the risk of seriously injur-
ing yourself. No piano's worth that risk, especially an old upright. Good
luck.

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net