new Baldwin Pin Torque, was PianoTechList Comments

[Ron Nossaman]

>Stacy Yoak, from the Baldwin factory, was at Reno to teach a class on
>re-stringing an accu-just system.  During the class, he described some
>changes recently introduced in production methods to control pin torque.
>The first pin holes drilled in each block are test holes, in an unused
>section of the block.  Pins are installed in the test holes, torque measured
>and evaluated.   Drill RPM and feed rate are adjusted, or perhaps the drill
>bit is replaced, to bring the torque within tolerance.  Only then are the
>"real" tuning pin holes drilled.

I talked to him a bit in the rebuilding skills class (after I showed him my
dumb little agraffe installation aid), and he said that drilling a block
out of the piano and then screwing it to the plate will change the pin
torques as the block conforms to the plate. I haven't tested this, and he
was referring specifically to ultra dense blocks, but I thought it was
interesting. 


Ron N