Pulling Plates

[Greg Newell]

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List,
         Yesterday I encountered a 1960's or so Baldwin "D" which had one=20
of it's plate struts looking rather thin. It seemed to me to be a potential=
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weak spot. I haven't had the opportunity yet to pull a plate from an=20
instrument that large but this particular one just might experience my=20
ministrations sometime in the future. Are there any special things to=20
consider when pulling plates this large? So far a "cherry picker" has=20
worked just fine on pianos under 6'. As the pianos go larger the plate gets=
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a bit harder to balance and support properly. I have an air hoist motor=20
that needs rebuilding and some box steel that I could use to make a frame=20
for it. That should cover the lifting part of the job but what about the=20
support? Do you simply double up on the straps or other support means?
         BTW, some time ago I promised a report on my experience with the=20
Buldoc grand plate puller. Since my shop isn't all that busy (too many=20
tunings) I waited until I had the chance to use it a few times. My advice=20
is don't waste your money. The top bar is weak and bends rather easily=20
which could allow the plate to slide if it became unbalanced. That could be=
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disastrous. While I've only pulled a few plates to date I found that it was=
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difficult to find the proper location of the plate to attach it to. I could=
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get close and then the directions are to tap it around to get to the=20
balance point but it always seems to have been too close to the bolts on=20
either end. Tapping it, in one case, left some marks on the freshly painted=
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plate which did not make my day either. I believe that I will continue to=20
use it until something about it just irritates me beyond reason but I wish=
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it worked better than it does.
         Has anyone ever tried putting some kind of bar stock through the=20
plate holes and then attaching a strap to that? When using the straps I=20
don't really like the fact that the strap hook comes in contact with the=20
painted surface. Actually I'd rather that the strap material didn't either.=
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Sure would love to see some pics on how others do this. Each one I pull=20
leaves me scratching my head trying to noodle out a better way. Help me out=
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folks my hairs getting thin enough as it is!!

Best,
Greg Newell



At 02:24 AM 12/8/2004, you wrote:
>R.Cromwell said: "While I am familiar with using a hoist attached to steel=
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>rafters as one
>method of removing a plate from a grand piano, has anyone tried using an
>engine crane to achieve the same goal?  Is it feasible or am I crazy - or
>both?
>
>
>
>Gazing doubtfully at a poorly supported ancient wooden rafter,"
>
>R.C.,
>I've used a "cherry picker", (the collapsible type), a couple of times,=20
>when doing work in another techs shop that didn't have a winch, etc.=20
>Worked just fine. They can be rented and are not that difficult to use/set=
 up.
>Best Regards,
>Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
>Captain, Tool Police
>Squares R I

Greg Newell
Greg's piano Fort=E9
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net=20
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