Tuning Hammer Technique and Staibilty Question

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Hi Robert,
I do not mean to evade your question but you will find that each piano will be a little different.
My advice would be to read Ken Burton's "Different Strokes" it will give you about 20 ideas of different ways to tame the beasts we deal with.
Two ideas to think on:
1> When the pin does not move up with my usual quick jerk and seems to only move at the top of the pin,
lowering the pin past the first click drops the note a lot, but instead of one click back up. I am able to get 3 to 8 back to where the note once was. This allows me to set the pin with far less overpull resulting in greater stability. The click that you feel is the whole pin turning in the block and is easier to feel with a good hammer.
2> The lever closer to in line with the strings, reduces negative flexing of the pin, as does `slightly controling the lever keeping the end of the shaft in a parallel with the twist of the pin as you pull or push.
Good luck
Joe Goss RPT
Mother Goose Tools
imatunr at srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Finley 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 9:25 PM
  Subject: Tuning Hammer Technique and Staibilty Question


  I would like to ask a question about how the tuning hammer should be used to achieve a stable and accurate tuning. I understand that one has to turn the tuning pin with the hammer so that the string is slightly above pitch, and then ease it back down into position, presumably to eliminate any self-twisting of the pin that could occur afterwards, causing the string to go out of tune. I guess this is because the tuning pin is flexible and the twisting at the bottom of the pin where it is seated in the pin block lags the twisting at the top of the pin over which the tuning hammer is placed. 

  My question is, how much should one tune the string above pitch before easing the pin back down? Should it be a few cents, cycles or what? I find it interesting that the tuning pin is that flexible because it seems to be made of rigid steel. I would expect the twisting effect of something that rigid to be minute, but enough to cause a string to go out of tune if the incorrect hammer technique is used. I have found that on my own piano, I can turn the tuning hammer a noticeable amount without a change in pitch, until I reach a point where it does start to change. 

  Thank you for your advice. 

  Robert Finley
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20060330/81c13f86/attachment.html