some days you get what you ask for

[Michael Gamble]

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Yes, Dave,

That was some day for you. I always try to repair broken bass strings
whenever possible, even if it means cutting back the windings on the
speaking length and making my gnott there. I find it works for maybe the
knot replaces the missing mass of copper. I did that on one-of-a-pair of
bass strings in an old Bluthner upright (vertical) and there was no
mis-match - isn't that something? As for treble pairs - again I try repair
by "pulling it round". Of course this can only be done if the break occurs
at the wrest pin (sorry, tuning pin). I keep the string on the hitch by
using a mini vise-clamp or even a surgical clamp (Joe G <G> gave it another
name, but I've forgotten). My light frequently comes from a torch held in
the teeth! Yummy!

Regards from the failing light of a cloudy evening in The Village.

Michael G.(UK)

 

  _____  

From: Piannaman@aol.com [mailto:Piannaman@aol.com] 
Sent: 03 October 2005 05:40
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: some days you get what you ask for

 

List,

 

Friday was certainly an interesting day on the job.  First piano was an old
Erhard upright, a nice old box made in 1919, pretty good shape.  It had a
broken high treble string on it, which I'd been aware of, and I replaced it
no problem.

 

Next piano, Acrosonic, circa 1950s.  Pitch raise, twang, G#2 wound bicord
snapped. A perfect candidate for one of the universal bass strings a lug
around.  As usual, spinning off excess copper was the most time consuming
part of this job.  Again, no real problem.

 

I was thinking about how much I've improved in various repairs, thanks to
many tips gleaned from this list and elsewhere in the PTG.  This type of
repair was once something I dreaded, now it's just something I do in the
line of duty.  "But," I told myself, "don't get cocky.  How long's it been
since you've replaced a long wire in an understrung section of a piano?"  It
had been awhile.

 

Which brings me to the next piano:  Steinway, a regular client, a nemesis
piano that always finds a way to lengthen the appointment beyond an
acceptable length.  A 1915 or so M re-whatevered badly a couple of decades
ago.  I was hoping for the best, but it was the usual 8-10 cent late-summer
pitch raise.  No problem, at least until I got to A3.  Twang.  The A#3-A3
wire snapped.  Went to the car, got stringing stuff including tube to get
string onto hitch pin.  In the failing light of the day, I got the job done,
but time would have been saved had I brought in my shop light so I could see
better to route the wire through the bridge pins.

 

The upside:  3 strings on the day, no bloody finger tips.

 

The weirdness:  Haven't had a string break in a few months.  Why did they
all gang up on me on one day???

 

Tip #1:  putting some tension on the wire makes it MUCH easier to get the
string placed properly around the bridge pins in the understrung areas.  

 

Tip #2:  Lighting is a good thing when doing this sort of job!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Dave Stahl


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