Restringing

[Ron Nossaman]

Jon, I'd like a look at your becket tool.

Good point on string spacing over the felt, getting a little sloppy here
really detracts from the looks of the job. I'd also like to add a cheap
trick. Before stringing, I heavily dust the understring felts with talc or
white chalkline chalk. After stringing, all the accumulated black junk blows
off the felt with the air hose (after vacuuming up the bulk of the talc).
Leaves the felt pretty and clean. 

Ron

At 11:21 PM 1/16/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I start in the tenor section. Instead of the costly and time consuming
>pin block jacks, I use wedges cut from a length of 2X4.
>
>If this is your first restringing or it has been a while since the last one,
>may I suggest using the Becket Tool to align the beckets.  After my
>first attempt at restringing I noticed that was an area for improvement.
>It takes a lot of practice to achieve consistency but this tool is a handy
>measure especially in corners where your fingers can't quite reach.
>I can send an image file and discription of the tool. I string with it all
>the time.
>
>Space your strings before they are up to pitch, especially the tenor section
>where I have seen uneven spacing on the felt (even from reputable shops).
>This is where a little extra time displays your craftsmanship.
>
>Jon Page
>

 Ron Nossaman