William writes: << I tell my customers that corrosion settles on the coils of the pins, where strings usually brake. << I believe that the point of curvature at the coil, where the string first meets the tuning pin, is the weakest part of the string. All friction at the agraffe, bearing bars and felts, as well as string tension, accumulates at this point. It is also at this point that the tuning flexes the string back and forth. I do not see corrosion on the coil as a contributing factor. >>If a piano is not tuned often, the wire crystallizes into place and strings can brake, no matter what we do. >> I have reservations about this, but I would ask someone with metallurgy expertise to comment on the crystallization process in carbon steel. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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