Harpsichord string breakage

[Fred Sturm]

Interesting. I've never had a harpsichord string break there. Is it the
tuning pin closest to the nut (the bridge glued on the pinblock, closest
to the tuning pins)? I'm thinking you are creating too much bearing
(coiling the wire too far down the tuning pin, making for a steep angle
downward from nut to where the string leaves the pin). That would create
even more of an angle from the front tuning pin. Definitely brass is
fussier than steel, not very forgiving about excess bends anywhere. And
tends to be strung at closer to breaking point than the steel strings,
exacerbating the problem. 
	It really doesn't take that much of a downward angle to create good
seating on the nut. I try to minimize the angle, especially with the
brass strings. If a problem (generally a buzz) arises, it is easy enough
to loosen tension, press downward on the string (usually with a finger),
and get the coils to go downward a sufficient amount. Taking care that
when brought to tension that last bit of coil isn't crossing the next
one.
	Of course it could be the wire, but doesn't seem that likely, given the
date you mention. Unlikely, but not impossible, to be a scaling problem,
given it isn't the top strings of that gauge. But I'll leave that
question to those who have the formulae and like to crunch numbers.
Good luck,
Fred Sturm

Avery Todd wrote:
> 
> Newton,
> 
>    In spite of what I said in a previous post, I just took a
> closer look and it seems like they're breaking at the upper
> bridge pin instead of the tuning pin. Sorry about the
> misinformation.
> 
> Avery
> 
> >_Where_ are the strings breaking?  That is likely to tell us
> >something.
> >
> >               Newton