String replacement under overstrung area

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Hi  Michelle,
First remove broken string and turn out each pin a full 3 turns!
Then loosen a few bass strings that are in the neighborhood of the bridge pins of D4 so that you can pull the loosened bass strings out of the way as you work.
Using the broken string as a sample for length, add a full foot to what you expect you will need for the new string. Make a v in the wire where you want the hitch pin to be. 
To pass the new string into place without removing the action and not hurting the dampers,
Raise the dampers and lay a page of the daily news paper over the dampers, folded so that it stays in place.
Use a bread tie safety pin to attach the V of the new string to either C3 4 or D34.
You may need to tape what ever you use to the new wire.
Start one end of the new wire in its tuning pin, but do not start a coil, just tight enough that it will not slip away into the bottom of the piano.
Next position the new string in place on the hitch pin. It is best to have to pull the V down to the hitch pin. So if the wire in the tuning pin eye is too tight you will have to go topside again to loosen the grip on the wire.
With the V in place using vice grips, pull the wire in the eye taught and measure about 
2 1/2" fingers and cut off excess. With fingers holding the new string in place in the pin, just barely showing wire, make a very quick jurk, turning the tuning pin clockwise.
This will give you the best becket.
Tighten to two coils making sure the wire does not over lap or rest on the plate where you can not get a tool under the wire without marring the plate. I some times use a small screw driver wedged against the wire to keep it where I want it to go moving it every quarter turn.
But the best way is to keep the wire taught so it just wraps arround the pin. But that is not always possible.
String the second wire along side of the pin and cut off the wire using 3 full fingers.
Do the same as above with the first string.
Bring to pitch ubserving the deed to even the amount of wire on each coil.
The goal is 2 1/2 to 3 wraps on each pin, but even is better than 6 on one and 1/2 on the other.
Good luck
Joe Goss RPT
Mother Goose Tools
imatunr at srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michelle Smith 
  To: 'Pianotech List' 
  Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 2:20 PM
  Subject: String replacement under overstrung area


  Hi everyone.  I was tuning my mom's ancient upright (1908) and of course a string broke.  Even worse, it was D#4 and in the area where the strings overlap.  While this was great stringing practice, I have to believe there's a trick to getting the string where it needs to go (and stay there) without hours of heartache and assistance from my dad!  I felt like I was torturing this poor old piano.  Any words of wisdom?

   

  Michelle Smith

  Bastrop, Texas

   

   
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