newbie questions

[jolly roger]

HI Charles,
                  I'll try and answer your questions.

At 01:05 AM 1/9/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Thanks to all who have given me tuning tips! Here are some questions:
>
>1) I tried to reduce false beats by seating the strings on the bridge.
>However, the bridge on my "PSO" is hard to reach. Part of the treble
>bridge is directly behind the keyboard and you can't get to it from below
>or from above. Advice? What tools (makeshift or otherwise) do you use to
>seat strings on the bridge?

The strings immediately behind the keybed is nearly always a problem, as
are strings that are underneath a plate web. Angling a very blunt screw
driver and lightly tapping with the heel of you hand, will often get the
job done. Be careful you do not need to 'kink' the wire, and create a
bigger problem.
Take a small block of wood, about the size of a dip block, lay it flat on
the strings in front of the bridge pins, tap the block with ablunt screw
driver, or lever the block against the rear of the key bed.  Again I preach
cautiion.  You will find very mixed results.
>
>2) I have heard that rust can cause false beats. And I found a little rust
>on the strings. I'm having a hard time not just spraying WD40 in there. I
>recall hearing someone say a while ago that WD40 should not be in, on, or
>near a piano.  That's a shame. And it's also a shame that duct tape has
>limited use inside a piano (perhaps it could replace leather on hammers!)
>But at least you get to use epoxy in pianos! Anway, what do you use to
>clean off rust?

Polish the wire with a string eraser, availiable from piano supply houses.
In bad cases use 0000 steel wool. Black 'Scotch Brite' pads will also work
and will not leave all the little bits of swarf,  In extreme cases I've use
600 grit wet and dry to get some improvement.
>
>3) For a flat piano, how flat must it be in order for it to need a pitch
>raise? I discovered that it's true that if you tune a flat piano up to
>pitch, it comes out flat! But I have also discovered that it gets better
>and better each tuning.

Not an easy question to answer. But for commercial work any thing over 10
cents, you should go over the piano twice.  This is a generalization. 
With the high quality ETD's availiable, some techs will do a large pitch
raise, that will pass muster as an acceptable home tuning, and rebook a
fine tuning within 30days. This a case of educating the customer, as well
as tuning the piano.
Experience will tell you what will work for you. There are as many opinions
as there are technicians.
A tip for pitch raising old PSO's. Drop the pitch a little on each string
to break the friction points, the pull up to pitch.  This will reduce the
risk of string breakage. Important if the strings are rusty.

Have fun.
Roger
>
>Charles Neuman
>Plainview, NY
>