Balwin 6'3"

[carl meyer]

Richard:

I, too, attended a demo of lock-n-stitch.  I was skeptical at first but
very impressed after I saw and understood the concept of the procedure.I
think it is a very good concept under certain circumstances.  I think
like others that you must determine what cracked the plate in the first
place. Lately an RPT told me about a 6'2" Hazelton Bros grand that was
for sale and I bought it finding out after the fact that it had 2 cracks
in the plate.  Upon asking him whether he knew the plate was cracked, he
said
"Of course, but it was of no consequence."  (he has since resigned from
the guild).  After saying SHITTTTTT about 16 times I thought about how I
was going to fix it. Studying the plate, it was obvious that there was a
designed in weak spot where it cracked.  When I unbolted the plate  from
the rim and the pin block the crack closed up by about half.  First
clue- 
the plate was stressed in the wrong direction. So I cut the strut across
the crack and extended it beyond the  weak spot and screwed a patch of
7/16 bar stock across the crack with 8-32 screws and after  epoxying
this in place drilled 3/16 holes and locktited 3/16 drill rod into the
cast iron plate.  When I reinstalled the plate in the piano, I made a
slurrey of epoxy and sawdust and drew the plate into position with the
first row of screws and waited for the epoxy to harden before inserting
the remaining screws.  This removed the torque of the plate which had
caused the original crack.  Of course I filled and repainted the plate
before I installed it. This piano was as stable as any after restringing
and tuning.  I've since repaired another weird piano with a severly
cracked plate  by reinforcing with steel.
Welding of cast iron is fraught with danger since cast iron shrinks by 6
percent from its molten state.   Unless it is cooled  slowly over a 6 hr
period cast iron becomes brittle and then is susceptible to cracking for
those two reasons.  Yes, I've heard many people tell me " I've got a
great welder who can weld cast iron". All I can say is that sometimes it
works.  I've seen many failures.  I'd much rather splint the plate if
only because I can do it myself rather than pay someone else to do
something I'm not sure will work.  You only have one chance.

Carl Meyer
Santa Clara, Ca.      

Richard Oliver Snelson wrote:
> 
> Since I still need some advice on repairing a Balwin plate. I'll try to
> be more specific with my request for help from the list. I do thank the
> one response I got about the fact that the break was not my fault. It
> was however partly my fault.
> 
> Here's the question:
> Does anyone have direct experience with Lock-N-Stitch repair?
> 
> Who are the experts on plate welding repairs?
> 
> I add as a side note what I have learned from this expensive lesson:
> Before bringing another piano to pitch especially one that has been
> stored for a long time. Check all nosebolt position and seating. Check
> all plate bolts for snugness. Also snug down the pin block screws. As I
> mentioned in a previous email the nose bolt on the strut that broke had
> stripped out all threads and was doing nothing.
> 
> Previous posting:
> Piano is a 1920-30's, was a player,  Balwin 6'3".  Has been on it's side
> in a storage area, no heat,damp, in Rogersville, MO. When I had it
> cleaned up and started to tune it was about 100 cents low.
> 
> At 30 cents low a plate strut cracked. The crack is 1" from the Y
> junction , between base section and treble, in the member on the treble
> side. It cracked from the top and the crack is about 3/4 of the way down
> the member. God! What a terrible sound! What a worse feeling!
> 
> Other information about the Balwin.  Nice strings, no rust, pins were
> holding, sound board very nice, case fair condition with new finish done
> in the 70's. Keys nice, action only fair. New hammers.
> 
> With that where do I go from here?
> 
> I've dropped the tension and went in the house for a shot of Jack
> Daniels.
> 
> Is it worth the effort to try and fix?
> Should I loosen plate screws and nose bolts? To check for case warpage
> and plate seating before trying a repair?
> 
> Help!
> Richard O. Snelson
> Associate Member PTG