[pianotech] Front rail pin extraction

William R. Monroe bill at a440piano.net
Tue Jul 14 08:48:10 MDT 2009


Court,

I modified a pair of Vise-Grips for pulling sundry tight "thingies."   
I replaced the original adjusting knob with the same diameter threaded  
rod with two nuts and a lock washer on the end - about 12" in length.  
I added a weighted slide (from Joe Goss - but any solid heavy sliding  
weight would do) and voilà - now you have an impact removal tool.

William R. Monroe

On Jul 14, 2009, at 8:54 AM, Court Stewart <calexste at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello, all.  Long time lurker, first time poster here.
>
> I've got a customer whose old upright has some highly corroded front  
> rail pins (I suspect a spill of some sort is the cause -- the  
> corrosion is much worse in one area than the rest).  The keys are in  
> dire need of rebushing, but first the old pins have got to go -- the  
> corrosion is beyond polishing away and the pins are pitted.  I tried  
> pulling one yesterday and just about threw my back out.  After  
> trying different pliers and prying techniques I decided to try  
> heating the pin up.  After that, I was finally able to yank the  
> sucker out.  But the pins are extremely tight, and even with the  
> heating it was a tough go just to pull one.  Also, it's pretty humid  
> here right now, though it gets worse.
>
> What are some favorite techniques to use in this situation?  I'm not  
> sure I'm up to doing this 87 more times and if anyone can help it's  
> you guys.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice you may offer.
>
> Court Stewart
> Roanoke Chapter


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