Not such a stupid question

Anne Beetem abeetem@wizard.net
Fri, 10 Apr 1998 13:14:11 -0400


>
>Hi Anne,
>    Perhaps sometime you'll elaborate on techniques for getting wire to
>hold on hole-less tuning pins?  I'll bet I'm not the only one who's
>agonized over those.
>-Mike Jorgensen

Well, I've had customers actually try duct tape and it doesn't
work..seriously folks....

This is one of those things I've done so many times,  (such as about 120
times in the last two days) I have to think about how to write it.   To
summarize, the secret is to start where the pin begins to flatten, wrap at
a slight angle going upwards about three turns, then wrap downward back
over the first windings at an angle...makes a pretty pattern too.  You need
to pull this top section of the windings, which is at the base of the flat
area of the head (important), nice and snug before proceeding down to
finish the windings.  Cut off the free end before proceeding very far down
the cylindrical section.  You have to keep tension on the wire the entire
time.  I use a third hand (also known as a vice grip) to keep the hitchpin
loop on the hitchpin as I work.  The tension then keeps the wire holding
itself on because of the overwinding.  Hope that's clear enough.  Oh yes,
this is obviously done OUT of the harpsichord, and then you hammer it in
with your little tuning hammer when the winding catches up to the right
length to the tuning pin's hole in the wrest plank.  Personally I much
prefer this technique to drilled pins.

ab









Anne Beetem
Harpsichords & Historic Pianos
2070 Bingham Ct.
Reston, VA  20191
abeetem@wizard.net




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