Loose tuning pins

[Richard Strang]

Hello list,
   Recently, I have worked on two pianos that had loose tuning pins and I
did a little testing to find the best solution to the problem.
   The first piano was a Yamaha G3 grand. I brought along a lot of size 3/0
and 4/0 pins thinking I was going to replace the 2/0 originals and make fast
work out of it. Well, as it turned out, the originals were 1/0, 2 3/8inch
pins, and the only 2/0 pins I had were 2 1/2inch.
   I made a fast tuning of the piano and marked all the loose pins. Then I
started shimming them with sandpaper. That works real well and the original
pins are used so they don't look different than the rest. I tried using one
of the 2/0 pins, but to get it in far enough, I had to drive it into virgin
pin block and it ended up way too tight.
   Then I tried the controversial CA glue. Since this Yamaha had collars, I
took the pins out for treatment. I ran CA downt the side of the pin, then
drove it back in. It wasn't any tighter than it was in the first place, but
when I came back to it later on when I fine tuned the piano, it was very
tight. It had a different feel to it than the shimmed pin, though.
   So, with this piano, I deduced that the shimmed pin was the better
repair, but CA was much faster.
   The second piano was a Baldwin Acoustic grand. This tuning was for a
concert. There were only 4 or 5 pins that needed to be tightened so I used
CA and let it soak in. I finished tuning and did my checks. I even played
the piano for a little while, because the only time I get to play on a grand
piano is when I tune one.
   A few hours later I get a frantic call from the pianist telling me the E
above middle C is sticking. I couldn't believe it, as I had just played the
piano and it was in good shape.
   I didn't have to rush back to the piano, as the concert was not for two
days, but I went back early the next morning. Sure enough, the E was not
only sticking, it was really stuck. It would not depress. I had to pull the
action to find the cause. One lousy drop of CA had made its way down the
side of one of those pins and dropped in the action, gluing one hammer very
securely to the rail. So, let it be known that somehow, the CA glue can make
its way all the way through the pin block and drop down hours later to cause
problems. It sure fixes tight pins, though, so I'll continue to use it,
maybe not so generously, though. Just a few observations.

Richard