snappy tuning pins

[Greg Graham]

Thanks very much to all who replied.  

One of the pianos in question is a Baldwin D, 1962
build date.  Most of the pins tune very nicely,
perhaps a little on the tight side.  Only a handful
feel like they are binding up, then POW!  (And only
when pulling up. Seems almost normal pushing the pitch
down.)  Much more violent than typical jumpy pins, and
very metalic in sound and feel, which is why I
wondered about the plate.  The plate holes seem just
barely bigger than the pins, leaving little room for
error.  

Another piano with almost an identical problem is a
1916 Steinway which was rebuilt around 1992.  Strings
and pins are new, but I'm not sure about the pinblock.
 Again, some pins appear very close to the plate.

I'll stick with "First: Do No Harm!" and try wire
brushing one hole, next time I'm at the "shootin'
range".   

Joe Garrett:  Thanks for the warning about the bit
grabbing the plate.  Perhaps a set screw depth collar
would prevent that, but it wouldn't clear adjacent
pins.  Maybe a set screw collar way up on the bit, and
a small piece of brass tubing riding over the bit the
length of the adjacent pins plus some?  Either way, I
don't think I'll be doing any plate drilling until all
other suggestions have been exhausted. 

Greg Graham

--- "D.L. Bullock" <dlbullock@att.net> wrote:

> The piano is most likely a Baldwin product.
> This is not a problem with the cast iron.  It is the
> pin block.  I try to
> prevent this happening on the pianos I string by
> using powdered rosin like
> the pool sharks use. I submerse the pin threads into
> the powder before
> driving.  I wish Baldwin had done this so their
> pianos would not sound like
> a shooting range when we tune them.
> 
> D.L. Bullock    St. Louis
> www.thepianoworld.com <http://www.thepianoworld.com>
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> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Greg Graham [mailto:grahampianos@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 11:44 PM
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: snappy tuning pins
> 
> 
> I have tuned a few pianos with a handfull of tuning
> pins on each that snap: I pull, pull harder, pull
> really hard, and BANG!  It sounds like the string
> broke, but, after my heart stops pounding, the strin
> 
> 
> 



		
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