Beware! Worn out tuning tip.

[Johannes28@AOL.COM]

Greetings to all!

I have had a rather unpleasant experience recently.  I did not realize what 
happens when a tuning hammer tip gets worn out, or ruined.  

So what happens?  Well, I went to tune a couple of pianos and had to go back 
through them many many times before they would hold.  Mind you, these 
instruments were at A440 already and get tuned about once a month.  So I knew 
that the pianos not holding was not because of the need for a pitch raise.  
They are good pianos with good tight pins so it's not that either.

So, there I was, tuning and tuning and tuning and tuning and tuning and 
tuning and tuning over and over again.  It was awful.  Hours of that.  I 
would get it tuned then notes started slipping.  So, in went the mutes and 
here we go again.  When this awful nightmare showed up on the next piano I 
went to, I started hunting for the problem.  

I noticed that my hammer tip was a little jiggly - not snug on the pins.  And 
yes, it is the right size for the pins.   Before this terrible problem occured
 all my tunings have been quite good.  I figure it's just gotta be that loose 
fitting tip.  I can't wait to get a call into my piano supply company in the 
morning and have new tips shipped to me as soon as possible. 

Anyone else have this problem before?   Let me warn you, have extra tips on 
hand just in case.  I think perhaps I might have ruined my tuning hammer tip 
somehow.  The best part of having an awful problem is being able to solve it. 
 At least I can laugh about it now.  At the time I was rather freaked out to 
say the least!!

Johannes Spannung