Erratic Keypins

[Ron Nossaman]

> I'm working on a grand action where the keypins appear new/recent and 
> are at all sorts of angles - many leaning forward and actually catching 
> the key mortise edge. 40% of them you can wiggle quite a bit with your 
> finger (like 1 mm movement at the top easily). Wood around pins feels 
> almost spongy - like someone treated the darn thing with the pinblock 
> dope of yesteryear (but no stains - don't really think anyone did 
> that). Most pins pull out quite easily. This thing is a mess. I've been 
> bending a few pins, etc., to make things function, but this is otherwise 
> a very nice piano and these pins are total BS. I can't feel right 
> applying 73 bandages to this instrument.
>  
> The only thing I can think of doing to make things right is to either 
> replace the key frame front rail and drill new holes or plug the 
> original and redrill. Anybody tackle this task before? Anyone have any 
> other wise ideas (constructive-wise, not smart-alleky-wise!)?
>  
> Thanks. Scary pictures available upon request.
>  
> Terry Farrell


Since you say the pins look new, I think I'd pull a few of the 
really slanty ones and look in the hole first to see if 
someone dropped in a chunk of ?something? to shim out the hole 
when the new pins weren't tight. If so, I'd clean out the 
holes and drive the new pin back in with a sliver of veneer in 
the front or back side of the hole. Then I'd either CA, or 
epoxy the whole mess from the top, heating with a heat gun if 
epoxy was used, to soak up and solidify the soft wood. I just 
had an action with too soft front rail wood, where I couldn't 
space the keys without making the pins loose.    A good CA 
soaking did the trick on this one.

If that didn't work, I'd inlay a strip, or two, in the front 
rail and re-drill.
Ron N