turning front rail pins....always a no-no?

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Piannaman@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 8:53 PM
Subject: turning front rail pins....always a no-no?


> Hi all,
> 
> I know this is a no-no for long term use, but is turning the front rail pins 
> likely to do any lasting damage to key mortises?  I've done it before on old 
> uprights where the cost of new key bushings is double the value of the piano.
> 
> I'm working on a 20 year-old Baldwin 7 footer tomorrow where there is too 
> much play in the bushings, yet the bushings are seem to be in good condition.  
> This would be a stop-gap measure until the clients are ready to spring for a new 
> set of key bushings, which I will try to talk them into.
> 
> Just wondering, fire extinguisher in hand
> 
> Dave Stahl
> 
    The bushing cloth will wear faster after turning the front rail pins since a narrower surface will be rubbing on the cloth, but no, I don't see how any damage to the mortises themselves would come about (unless the cloth wears all the way through to the wood).
    The trouble with turning pins, though, is that it is then harder to space the keys since when you try to bend the pins left or right, they "try to turn themselves back straight again" and they're more liable to be nicked by the tool.  Then later when you have to bend them back straight, it's harder to get them back the way they were, plus it loosens them a bit in their holes. 
     I tune a 10-year old (Asian) "Wurlitzer" that already needs key bushings badly, yet my old upright built in 1904, which I've played heavily for 20 years (and plenty of other owners for the 80 years before that), has the original bushings and there's still almost no side play in the keys!  They must not make bushing cloth like they useta!  
    --David Nereson, RPT