Jumpy strings?

[Piano Services Tech Dept]

Greg,
Just a word of caution. Be careful what you spray on the strings. I came
across a piano which a tuner sprayed WD-40 on the strings over the pressure
bar felt before the agraffes. It traveled back to the tuning pins, down into
the tuning pin holes and the T pins were slipping. We had to restring this
12 year old Steinway L and ream out the holes to get to fresh wood. A real
shame.

Ed Mashburn RPT.
----- Original Message -----
From: Greg Newell <gnewell@EN.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2000 1:16 PM
Subject: Jumpy strings?


> Hi again,
>     Have any of you ever run into jumpy string? I've been tuning a
> Steinway B in a music school for quite a few years now and it's finally
> getting to the point where it's almost impossible to tune. Much of this
> depends on my mood too as to whether or not I want to screw with it.
> Just like jumpy pins you are nearing the point where you want the string
> and it jumpy too high or too low. The pin does, however, turn smoothly.
> I've tried teflon powder on the understring felt and other lubes at the
> agraffe to no avail. The feedback I get from my trusty rosewood tuning
> hammer says that the problem is near me not at the other end of the
> string. I hear something like ticks with the pitch rising if you can
> imagine that. Any ideas? I'm thinking restringing here if the school can
> get a grant for the money. I'm fairly sure that would cure the problem,
> I'd just like to understand it a little better. Feel free to share any
> insights, s.w.a.g. 's or the like.
>         Greg Newell
>