I assume this piano has the Baldwin patented plate mounting system. In the Baldwin plate mounting system, the plate height is determined at only three points: a large diameter flathead screw in the inner rim behind the bass bridge, and the treble and bass corners of the pinblock. The holes for the rim bolts are threaded, as are the holes in the inner rim for these bolts. The rim rests on the three points mentioned and on the threads of the screws of the rim bolts, there is nothing else underneath the rim. Sam Goodlander's idea was to make it easy to level the plate during installation with the least amount of stress around the perimeter of the rim. To my knowledge there is no minimum torque requirement to be met in this system. I would recommend a call to Kent Webb @ 800-876-2976, ext 8585 for the best procedure to follow in returning the plate bolts to their proper elevation ASAP. Kirk Beasley former shop rat of the Piano Research Lab at Baldwin ---------- From: owner-pianotech@byu.edu on behalf of Warren Fisher Sent: Monday, April 14, 1997 8:13 PM To: pianotech@byu.edu Cc: fish@communique.net Subject: Loose Plate bolts, Baldwin SD-10 While tightening bolts on an SD-10, I found 3 in a row that were very loose so I tightened them snugly but I didn't crunch them. When I sat down to start tuning and happened to glance at the three bolts, to my horror I saw that the area of the plate under those bolts was no longer straight, but had dipped lower between 1/8 to 1/4 inch? I really didn't measure it because I immediately loosened those bolts again to approximately the way they were before! What's going on here? Should they be tightened anyway? I know I should jerk that plate out of there and replace the plate supports, but this is a church, I don't think they'll buy it. Should they be left a little more than hand-tight, or what? The bolts are located just forward (toward the keys) of the massive delta shaped plate bracing that supports the back of the plate where the bass bridge is. Any help will be greatly appreciated, Warren -- Home of The Humor List Warren D. Fisher fish@communique.net Registered Piano Technician Piano Technicians Guild New Orleans Chapter 701
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