To Bush, Perchance to Dream

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Ron Nossaman wrote:

> Hi Del, Les, Theodore, and all the ships at sea,
>
> . . . Pianos with plate bushings tune easier than those with pins
> riding the plate, and the pins remain tighter in the block, and of more
> uniform torque, for longer than those without.

There is, of course, another solution. We do drill out the holes in these plates -- slightly! I don't recall the drill size
right now, but it is just one size larger than the original hole. We drill at the same back angle we use in drilling the
tuning pin holes in the pinblock. Even with some drill creep we manage to keep the tuning pins from contacting the plate.

My problem with drilling the plate large enough for plate bushings is simply that in some areas the web becomes quite thin.
In fact, I can think of a couple of models in which the holes would overlap.



> Open blocks would be ideal, the best of all combinations. The issue, as I
> see it, isn't really the bushings, it's the plate riders, or lack thereof.
> Steinway could get a dramatic improvement in both long term tunability and
> pinblock life by just drilling the plate holes bigger.
>
> Baldwin's granite pinblocks have the same troubles when pins ride plates,
> but they are nearly as impossible when they don't. They ought to be using a
> more forgiving material, like titanium, AND drilling the plate holes bigger.
> <G again>
>
> Boy, I sure hope somebody out there agrees with at least SOME of this stuff.
>
> Still ducking, still covering, Ron

-------------------------------------------------

If you haven't discovered this yet, allow me to let you in on a little secret. If you're going to write anything about
anything you'd better develop a VERY thick skin. I don't know about other industries, but in this one there is almost nothing
you can say about anything that won't be treading on somebody's favorite belief. And, believe me, they will let you know.
Sometimes -- perhaps, most times -- this is very helpful. It makes one think and evaluate what you've written. It might even
change your view of something. Other times . . . well, let's just say that I'm often reminded of the old cartoon of the
arguing couple. Finally one of them says to the other, "You might as well give up, it's going to take a lot more than mere
facts to convince me!"

Del

"Convention wisdom is an idiot."