The kinks,

[A440A at aol.com]

Don writes:

<< I think you mean that the plastic deformation limit has to be slightly
exceeded--if you wish the *kink* to stay. If it were not exceeded, the kink
would not be created at all.>>

I understand that.  I was responding to a question about whether the kink 
would remain, and I said that as long as the limits were not surpassed, the kink 
would stay.  Actually, the string would break before it could withstand enough 
tension to straighten the kink out.  The kink is a deformation, but caused by 
the tool twisting the string perpendicular to its length.  Trying to pull the 
string hard enough to straighten it would break it.  Unlike lead came, used 
in stained glass work, which is straightened by pulling, the steel doesn't obey 
the same laws. 

>>I've been doing a similar thing but at 90 degrees--lifting the strings just
on the tuning pin side of the agraffe--it works very well and seats the
strings at the top of the agraffe too. < 

   I described, some time ago, my procedure for seating the strings on the 
agraffes,  it was the one where I take a dull screwdriver and smack the string 
right behind the agraffe.  It works like a charm. 
Regards, 
 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html