Veritical Hitches Another Question

[Ron Nossaman]

> Another question.  Those installing vertical hitches, do you find it better
> to install before or after you refinish the plate, i.e. are there chipping
> problems when you insert them after finishing?  Otherwise, masking them all
> off seems like a pain.  
> 
> David Love

Yea, what Jim and Will said. I like to leave them 2 - 4mm 
above the plate, but will go up to 5 if necessary everywhere 
but the bass. The bass hitch riser is typically so massively 
overbuilt, that I'll go up to maybe 6 if necessary. 
Anticipating where the bass bridge will end up with a tail 
float is a tad less predictable than the rest of the piano, 
and having more breathing room there is a luxury.

Finish first, then install the pins. Chamfer the hole edges 
slightly in the primer stage (tuning pin holes too, for that 
matter), and after the gold and top coat, the pins will drive 
in without chipping. You're right about masking. It's a total 
pain. When I do a Baldwin with Accu-just pins, I knock the 
pins out to finish the plate, put 'em back in afterwards, and 
I think I'm time ahead doing it.

Ron N