The Voice of Inexperience

[Clyde Hollinger]

I've been thinking about this situation, and I have a question I haven't seen
addressed.  Sometime in the past I think I read that some pinblock restorers
actually cause the pinblock to disintegrate over time, and the end result is no
better, or worse, than the first.

Is this true?  Or what if the plies of the pinblock are separating or has a
crack?  Will larger pins solve the problem?  Even if the customer agreed to
all-new wound strings, if I were the technician I would want some assurance that
I don't end up with beautiful new strings and a rotten pinblock.

I believe it was Ed Foote who suggested that if you're going to do the job, you
may as well do it right, and encouraged plugs.  But we've already been told that
the piano is worn out.  Wouldn't "doing the job right" involve a lot more work
to the *whole* piano than replacing the bass strings and plugging or repinning
that section?  (I know some extra work has already been done.)  If the customer
won't hear of discarding the piano, shouldn't it receive a complete
remanufacturing?

I find these "in-between" situations difficult to deal with. Even the
not-so-in-between situations drive me buggy.  I've got a dozen or more Baldwin
pianos around here that are in otherwise good shape but need Ecsaine
replacement, but the customers leave the problem go indefinitely because of the
cost.  Same thing with Yamaha corded flanges of the "deficient" era.

Regards,
Clyde Hollinger, RPT

Bill Ballard wrote:

> At 6:14 PM -0500 4/9/03, <tune4u@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >Given all the facts above: How would you proceed? What would you do? 4/0
> >pins? Are shims a better option when it's been doped? Open to all ideas ...
>
> Oversized pins. That's what they're made for. The pinblock would have
> to be real good to allow you to swap bass strings without o'sized
> tuning pins. I'd pull the sandpaper shims out while you're at it.
> After the paper falls apart under the pressure, what you're left with
> is a lapping compound of the coarsest grade. 100 grit granules being
> ground into the pin hole walls by steel pins is not the ticket for a
> long life.
>
> I hope you get to put in the new pins under the extreme dry
> conditions you described. It's nice to know how your choice of tuning
> pins is going to work in the worst case conditions.
>
> Bill Ballard RPT
> NH Chapter, P.T.G.
>
> "I gotta go ta woik...."
>      ...........Ian Shoales, Duck's Breath Mystery Theater
> +++++++++++++++++++++
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