Les, At 11:42 PM 11/10/2005 -0600, you wrote: >I tuned the tightest "pin block" I have ever seen today. It was so bad that >when I finished my muscles were just beginning to cramp.... It was a 1930 >Wurlitzer baby grand, and when I put the hammer on the first pin I was >simply shocked. No Baldwin was ever this tight............ It was quite by >accident that I discovered there was no pinblock, but this was using the >plate as the block. The tuning pins were slotted from the bottom, each >having a wedge driven into the slot, much like a wedge is driven into the >handle of a "regular hammer" to hold the handle on by the outward pressure >caused by the wood. Does anyone on the list know the history of this >notion, how it started, why it ended. It was utterly fascinating to tune. >Couple loose pins, I simply tapped the wedge a bit tighter. There would be >no wearing out, though it was tough on the muscles......... > >thanks for any info. >les bartlett No info, just confirmation. I've been tuning one of those for a customer for about 20 years now and it doesn't get any easier. I understand that the Wegman (sp?) is a pretty good non-wood pin holding system. I've never run across one, however. The WurliTzer is obviously an excellent one if 70 year old pianos have ungodly tight pins. Conrad Hoffsommer I tried to get a life once, but they were all out of stock.
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