Fw: hinge pins

[Tom Driscoll]

----- Original Message -----
From: Tom Driscoll <tomtuner@mediaone.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 10:57 AM
Subject: Re: hinge pins


> Dave, I would get the largest pin that will go in the hole, and put  a
small
> bend in the middle. It will go in tight and stay in and only you will
know!   Don't sweat the small stuff !
> Tom Driscoll
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dave Nereson <dnereson@dimensional.com>
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2001 1:52 AM
> Subject: hinge pins
>
>
> > A customer has a 1925 Mason & Hamlin 'A' and the hinge pins got lost.  I
> > tried successively larger drill bits in the hinges to see what size they
> > should be and came up with .140".  The ones that were in there were
.136"
> > (maybe .133" since I don't see .136" in the catalogs) and too loose --
> they
> > vibrate their way out of the hinges when playing.   The hardware store
had
> > brass rod in .125" (1/8") and .156" (5/32") but not 9/64", which is
close
> to
> > the .140" I need.
> >     Schaff does indeed have a .140" pin, but APSCO doesn't.  They both
> have
> > a .117" and a .150", and both have a "Steinway" style pin (.144" in the
> > APSCO catalog; no diameter given in the Schaff).   Then Schaff has a
> Yamaha
> > pin, but gives no diameter, and APSCO also offers .104", .125" (1/8"),
and
> > .133", one of which could be the Yamaha size, but they don't say.  I've
> > encountered Asian pianos with hinge pins that are .157" and .197"
> (probably
> > 4mm and 5mm, since they're metric, I presume) but neither supply house
> > offers these.  And it can take 2 months to order them from Korea via
> > California, which I've had to do.
> > Schaff doesn't seem to have trap pins, but APSCO does have some at
.155",
> > which could be used for the .157", I guess.
> >     But why all the disparity?  Why can't one or both of the large
> suppliers
> > offer all the sizes, metric and "standard", and give diameters for all
the
> > pins?  Haven't the two merged now?  Didn't Schaff buy American or vice
> > versa?  Why do they keep two separate catalogs?  Just put everything in
> one
> > book so we don't have to go back and forth, seeing who carries what and
> who
> > has the better price, and who has "the good kind" of bushing cloth and
who
> > has "the cheap kind" of bridle straps, or whatever.  I know this is
> endemic
> > to the capitalist/consumer system, but it's also a time-waster, whether
> > you're ordering a couple hinge pins or a whole slew of stuff for a
rebuild
> > job.
> >
> >              --David Nereson, RPT
> >
>