[pianotech] Plate Location

[William Truitt]

Hi Ed:

 

It depends on the piano on whether or not I would install plate bushings.
If a particular piano has the pin hole spacing clustered very close in the
tenor and perhaps the bass, I would be reluctant to do it.  If the plate
webbing is very thin, such as we typically see in a Steinway, I would be
hesitant to do it.  But there are many pianos where these conditions do not
exist, but where the plate is thick.  Many of the old Mason & Hamlins had
plate webbing 3/8” or more in thickness.  When the block is tight, the pins
tend to flagpole, making the tuning more difficult.  Reaming out the plate
holes takes about ½ hour, installing bushings about the same, and dressing
the plate underside for length the same again.  About 1 ½ hours total, and I
charge the customer for it.

 

My experience has been that it has made the process of tuning such beasts
like a Mason & Hamlin more pleasant to tune.  Some of these pianos I have
been tuning for 20 years to no detriment.  I do it because it gives the
tuning pin more support nearer to the top of the pin.

 

Will Truitt

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ed Foote
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 10:15 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Plate Location

 

Phil writes: 

 

I'm working on an old Baldwin where the tuning pins barely fit in the plate
holes (no bushings). I don't want to make a mistake drilling this one!

    I  use a drill bit that will have no slack in the holes to make a dimple
in the block for each pin. It may be selected to very slightly enlarge the
hole, if desired.   This dimple will center the drilling bit quite well.
Caveat:  make sure that the dimples are made with the drill bit exactly
vertical to the plate or you will put the center of the dimple off center
from the hole. It is not uncommon for the plate holes to vary in size.
   Also, once again following "Guru"  Chris Robinson's example, I now use
1/0 pins for all new blocks.  They leave room in the plate, they allow for a
move to 2/0 at a later date, and they tune very nicely. 
   I don't like to enlarge the holes for plate bushings, as it often leaves
a very thin webbing in the low tenor section, as well as introducing three
more steps in the process,(drilling, installing bushings, and then dressing
the bushings to length after installing).  However, there are times they are
valuable, ie, yesterday got a panicked call from a customer that had had a
wax candle( a particularly greasy, heavily scented foppish sort of candle),
spill a large amount of wax on the tuning pins.  They were bushed and the
wax caused no damage, other than to his wallet. 
    I haven't  had the experience of bushings changing the ease of tuning to
any practical degree.  The grain orientation is such that compression from
the pin quickly destroys any torque available, and my own tuning technique
uses a slight bit of flex in the pin for final setting. ( We could probably
discuss our various pin setting techniques in a separate thread). 
Regards, 

 

Ed Foote RPT
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html

  

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