[pianotech] Pinblock Separation

[Terry Farrell]

I've also done a number of these repairs. Ron, Will and Jon have given you good advice. It may well be overkill, but I use thickened epoxy - I sleep better at night. I once did a Baldwin studio upright that had a full 3/4" separation all the way across. Worked out fine. Very stable afterwards.

I'll second what you heard from Steinway. Before I got into this business I bought a new 1098 - with a separating pinblock. Not only did S&S tell me the same thing, the DID the "repair" that way (after I traded it for a much nicer piano - from Japan). They just glued in a shim, sanded it down and hit it with some lacquer - and then put it up for sale as a new piano!

Terry Farrell

On Jan 11, 2013, at 9:01 AM, Wesley Hardman wrote:

> This is very good information, and I am very appreciative for it.  If these people decide to have the piano fixed, I will make use of the information you have provided me.  I will say that the manufacturer I had reference to earlier was Steinway.  I've never done one of these repairs, but a member of my chapter found one of these cracks on a Steinway 1098;  he called the manufacturer;  the rep told him that it would not affect the tuning of the instrument;  the member has been tuning this piano for years and has yet to make the repair.  As I said earlier, the Kimball studio pinblock separated from the frame this past weekend while being played, and the cracking process was very audible, resulting in a very out-of-tune piano.
> 
> 
> On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 7:26 AM, Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net> wrote:
> I've done this many times. The tension does not need to be let down. You do need many industrial strength clamps. I use hand screws and pipe clamps.
> Draw the crack closed with the clamps. Remove a screw and drill thru for a 5/16" bolt. A carriage bolt could be used but I have found the the soft face board on the back allows the bolt head to crush into the wood too much, so I use hex head bolts with washers. 3/8" bolts if more force is required.
> You could use T-nuts but they are pricey and chances are that your local hardware store does not supply enough.
> 
> The reason to close the gap first is two fold. First, to prevent drilling debris from impacting into the gap, thus preventing its closure. Secondly, if the bolt hole were drilled prior to closing the gap then the holes on either side of the separation will no longer be in straight alignment once closed and the bolt itself will restrict closure.
> 
> Many times glue is not needed for shallow separations. If glued, leave the clamps on overnight after all the bolts have been installed.
> Also, if the top is loose, bet that it is separated along the bottom as well. Check the bridge apron/body glue joints while you're at it. It's also good time to check the bridge notch at the treble break strut. Many time the bridge is touching the plate. Cut the bridge free with a saw blade drawn against the plate to recess the bridge. Might as well lube the casters while its on its back....
> 
> -- Regards,
> 
> Jon Page
> 

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