Loading the tuning pin

[Ron Nossaman]

> William,
>  
> Thank you for your quick response. You are spot on with what I 
> thought the instructor meant, but I was not real sure if I was 
> interpreting it correctly. In fact I believe he used the term in the 
> context of leaving a performance piano with the pins loaded.
>  
> I could not agree with you more in my limited experience, I feel much 
> more comfortable leaving all things equal and set, or as you stated at 
> "equilibrium". When I know or think I know a pin is set I don't want to 
> mess with loading it. This could go with the current thread on floating 
> the pitch. If you think the pitch may change by performance time, tune 
> it sharp or flat by your estimates with the pins set not loaded.
>  
> Thanks again for your insight on this matter.
>  
> Steve Blasyak RPT

I'd like to clear up a point of basic physics here. You're not 
leaving the pin with no twist in it, you're ideally leaving it 
with whatever twist it takes to counter the opposing twisting 
force from string tension. That's the equilibrium you're 
after. You have no way to tell what twist is still in the pin 
because you can't measure it directly. The only indications 
you get are what you feel, and what you hear (or see on your 
ETD) as the string pitch changes. When you leave the pin at a 
point where it takes the same or very slightly more force on 
the tuning hammer to lower pitch X amount that it does to 
raise pitch by X amount, you're in the ball park. At that 
balance of forces, the pin will be left with some twist, but 
will be in balance with string tension.
Ron N