Pinblock reamers

[Jon Page]

At 03:30 PM 03/29/2000 -0600, you wrote:
>List,
>
>Has anyone out there had any experience using a pinblock reamer such as
>the one Pianotek sells?
>
>I've got a customer, an amateur but talented piano rebuilder, who drilled
>out a Falconwood pinblock years ago with a regular twist drill (probably
>a dull one) and thoroughly scored the insides of the pin holes. Ever
>since then the tuning pins have been  jumpy and tight rendering his
>otherwise beautiful M&H grand untunable.
>
>I'm thinking that I can just ream out the holes and restring the piano
>with oversized pins.
>
>Any advice?
>
>What rpm's should I set my drill at?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Charles Faulk RPT
>Manhattan, KS

I would hazzard a guess that since he is a shade tree technician that the
block/plate flange fitting is not good either and probably the holes are 
drilled
too far back. The flange fit might be salvaged with epoxy. Are the pins drilled
at consistent angles?  I would take a hard look at trying to save this block.

Falconwood blocks are drilled .010 smaller than the hole. Since 2/0 pins 
are .281
you would have to at least jump to a 4/0 pin (.291).  Both a K bit and a  9/32"
are .281.  After drilling (slowly) clean the hole with a .30 caliber gun 
barrel cleaning
brush in a drill, this will deglaze the hole.  Also try a 3/0 pin (.286), 
it might
be a better fit.   Mic the set of pins and separate them into as many as four
different diameters. Thinnest going in to top treble, thickest in the bass, 
discard
the out-of-round ones.

Regards,


Jon Page,   piano technician
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
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