Jon Page wrote: <<If a pin can be pulled out of the pin block with the string attached by vice grips, I would say that this piano has seen better days and that you could be better sending your time on something better. I better leave it at that because I have nothing better to say. Get the point? You better have.>> Gosh Jon, thanks for your efforts to clean up my act, but I think you missed the point. I said "as an experiment"! No one in their right mind would go around tuning pianos in which the tension was held solely by pin bushings. I was attempting to convey the idea that the pin bushing's contribution to pin torque could be determined this way. I also said that the bushing's contribution to torque was significant. When you have an old piano going to the dump, you have an educational resource. For example; - Try thin epoxy on the loose pins, - try superglue on the loose pins, - see just how far above pitch you can raise strings before they break - and remember what it sounds and feels like, - carefully try removing plate bolts without reducing the string tension, use a hammer and see just how hard it is to break the plate, try different strippers and finishes on parts of the case, etc., etc., etc. Neither you or the piano have anything to lose, and you might gain some practical experience. Bill Simon Phoenix
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