Duplex

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl Meyer" <cmpiano@home.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: November 04, 2001 12:22 PM
Subject: Re: Duplex




> Yesterday I went to a store that had a couple of Baldwins with vertical
> hitch pins.  I used my rubber yardstick and were surprised to find the
pins
> were .224 dia. and protruded .465 above the plate.  The strings were about
> half way up.

Don't go by what you see on Baldwins. For two reasons: Those plates are
designed for vertical hitches and have somewhat thicker hitchpin panels and
they sometimes don't pay a lot of attention to setting the plate and the
strings can ride pretty high up on the pins. You should keep the strings no
higher than they would be if they were going over the original back bearing
(whatever it may have been). Usually this is about 4 to 6 mm off the plate
surface.


>
> Ron N suggested 5 mm roll pins.  I wasn't having much luck
> finding them locally, but Mcmaster-Carr had them.  I ordered them on line
> and should have them by Tues.  I'll try drilling the angled holes to 5mm
and
> if there doesn't seem to be enough bearing surface, I'll redrill to 7/32
> (still less than .224) and go to the larger pin.

I would go with the larger pin anyway through the tenor and the mono-chord
bass. It will give you better string spacing and I feel more comfortable
putting the tension of the mono-chords on the larger pin. You can use the
smaller pins through the treble sections.


>
> The plate was strikingly similar to the Emerson I'm working on.  I was
> pleased to see the location of the hitch pins for notes just above the
bass
> break were located  almost exactly where I had planned to put them.  Now
the
> tail length will be about 130mm instead of 30mm.

Oh! Are you in for a pleasant surprise.


>
> Thank you Del.   I regret not getting into pianos and especially
rebuilding
> when I was younger.  You and many others sharing so much has meant the
> difference between satisfaction and utter frustration.

Yes, it was frustration that drove me into working this stuff out as well.
It was hope that things could change that drove me to teaching and sharing
it. I am now less frustrated--at least in my own work--and I still have that
hope.

Del