[pianotech] Oversized tuning pins

[David Ilvedson]

Well, that has never worked for me...but then I didn't do it for 7 hours!   Jeez...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Leslie Bartlett" <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 11/27/2009 7:21:45 PM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Oversized tuning pins


>I have a church client which (who?) purchased a 9-foot Shigeru, and two
>Estonias.  One of the Estonias was so bad that every pin popped, and I
>finally told them it was un-tunable. Short story....  I told them I thought
>I could fix it, so called the guys from whom they got it and was to have a
>shot. Seven hours later jerking pins back and forth, there were only about
>two pins popping and the rest just quite tight.  
>les Bartlett Piano Service 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
>Of David Love
>Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 8:55 PM
>To: pianotech at ptg.org
>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Oversized tuning pins


>Those are the kinds of jobs I am moved to return to the person who did the
>ace restringing job.  Unfortunately, once a nightmare, always a nightmare.
>It won't likely loosen up and won't get much better, at least not in your
>lifetime.  If it were me, I wouldn't be encouraging them to tune it that
>often.  At least not if they are going to call me.  Maybe a zapper, but
>you'll have to explain the smoke.  

>David Love
>www.davidlovepianos.com


>-----Original Message-----
>From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
>Of Rob McCall
>Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 6:10 PM
>To: pianotech at ptg.org
>Subject: [pianotech] Oversized tuning pins

>Greetings all,

>I tuned a 1957 Hensel 5' Grand that had been restrung by someone else this
>past June.  My tuning was the first one since the restringing. No other work
>was performed besides new strings and tuning pins.

>The pin block is still the old one but on the invoice the customer showed
>me, they had put in new oversized pins, although the size they used was not
>listed.

>Tuning was, at least for me, a nightmare...!  I was gently pulling on the
>first tuning pin to get a feel for it, but it wouldn't budge. I gave it a
>short impact type pull and it jumped about 30 cents and made a high pitched
>ratcheting type noise that resonated through the piano. Luckily, it was
>about 40 cents flat to begin with!  It felt like it jumped in increments
>throughout a very short movement.

>Every single tuning pin was extremely tight and would not move in small
>increments no matter how hard I tried. I finally figured out just the right
>amount of impact to get it to move close to where I wanted it, as they all
>needed about the same amount of movements, but small movements were
>impossible.  This ratcheting type feeling and loud sound was the same in
>both CW and CCW movement on every single pin, every single time it was
>moved.

>At least it had 3 tight coils and the beckets were all lined up...  :-)

>Needless to say, it wasn't my best tuning, but I explained (and
>demonstrated) to the client what was going on, and in the end, he seemed
>genuinely pleased with the end result.

>My question...  Is there something that can be done to make the tuning pins
>move easier and smoother? Or does this just need lots of movement and time?
>Anything else I can do?  

>They agreed with my advice for tuning frequency following a restringing and
>want me to come back in 2 months and tune it again.  I'm hoping to have a
>solution or answer before I have to tame the beast once again.

>Thanks in advance...

>Rob McCall
>McCall Piano Service, LLC
>Murrieta, CA

>rob at mccallpiano.com
>www.mccallpiano.com
>951-698-1875