Jumpy Pins-Varnish

[jpiesik@arinc.com]

Hi Ed, Dick and All,

I guess there are different swabs for different jobs.

Is there any particular situation/condition you look for that may cause you to
lean towards using varnish, powdered resin, or ? as opposed to driving the pins
in dry? Or, have you had a great success with Varnish? I wonder what they use in
the factories? Is it really necessary to "condition" a used or new pinblock with
some type of "conditioner/pin-driving-fluid" before driving in new tuning pins?

Regards,

John Piesik, RPT
Carlsbad, CA




Dick,

When I have used Marine Spar Varnish I use it, let it dry in hole over night
and replace with one size up if the pin is good,  the same size if it is
great.  I drive it in, I don't turn it in.  I never swab the pin
though...just the hole.  The pins seem good and have never had one still seem
jumpy.

Ed Tomlinson
Tomlinson Tuning and Repair

Dick Writes....

 Do you replace the tuning pin immediately after swabbing the pin hole with
 varnish?
 Or do you let the varnish dry?
 Do you also varnish the pins?
 Do you drive the tuning pin back into the block (as is normal) or turn it
in?
  Seems as if driving it in would scrape off the varnish on the sides of the
 hole.
 Assuming the pins were acceptably tight at the get go, do you still replace
 with larger pins.
 Piano is in really good shape except for this problem.  Not good enough
piano
 (spinet) to justify replacing the block.

 Thanks to all

 Dick Day >>