Broken Plate

[Robert Payne]

Rob,
I do plan on returning to the scene to share some of these responses with the client. I'll try to take some pictures at that time. Thanks for your response.

Robert 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rob & Helen Goodale 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 9:14 PM
  Subject: Re: Broken Plate


  WOW!  That's quite a tale.  I'm not certain what you mean by "laminated".  Could you post a few pictures of this?  I'm not certain if there is any tuning proceedure that could have prevented this.  I've restrung many pianos and gone from no tension to full tension in a day without a hint of trouble.  The one thing that comes to mind right off is perhaps some plate bolts/screws were loose.  Checking for tighness to prevent any shifting may have been a good idea.  In any case make no mistake, it isn't your fault.  These things just happen.

  I have discussed plate repairs on this list several times and don't particularly want to hash it again but I will say that the "Lock N' Stitch" system works excellent.  Check the list archieves on the topic and also look at http://www.locknstitch.com/   I've used the system and it is very impressive and reliable for piano plates.

  Rob Goodale, RPT
  Las Vegas, NV 

    Greetings to all,
    I am a 30 year veteran of our craft but a newbie to the tech list. I need your help. I have seen broken plates that were already broken when I got there, but for the first time one broke during a tuning, ( following a large pitch raise ). The piano was a 20+ year old Currier Studio that appeared to be in near perfect condition. The customer said that it hadn't been tuned since it was new. It was around 150 cents flat (maybe as much as 200 in spots). First I pulled it to 440 with no overpull. After that it was about 50 to 60 cents low. Next I did a normal pitch raise using the appropriate overpull. After fixing a few strays I was ready to tune. Just as I was setting the A4 to 440 I heard this tremendous BAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ! ! ! I  ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK. The entire middle section went completely dead.Of course broken plate was the first thing that came to mind, but what I found was really strange to me. The plate appeared to be laminated steel. I have never seen or heard of such a thing. One of the laminates had separated and was pushing out on the strings. What can anyone tell me about these laminated plates ? Was this catastrophe entirely my fault or was there a way to avoid this ? Is it possible or feasible to attempt a repair ? For future reference, what other manufacturers have used this kind of plate ?
    The customer was extremely gracious and insisted that it wasn't my fault, but I can't help but feel responsible for not recognizing the potential danger in attempting such a large pitch raise on this particular instrument. ( I have successfully raised pitch by that much many many times during my career.) Anyway, thanks for your input. I'm looking forward to the verdict.

    Robert Payne, Rpt.   Dallas Chapter
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20071007/3899b869/attachment.html