[CAUT] To Plate Or Not To Plate...

[Tim Coates]

Jon,

I personally don't know about the plating issue.  I have a suggestion 
about pounding the pins though.  Wait to do your final leveling of the 
pins until after the piano is quite stable.   There are many processes 
to be done to make the strings stable.  One I outlined yesterday with 
the agraffes (which is done before the strings are installed).

The string cuts into the bridge pin as you do the chip tunes.  If you 
don't believe me pull a pin and look at it after you have done 4 chip 
tunings.

By leveling the bridge pins as the final stage in the stringing process 
you are making sure the string has a much better chance of a clean 
sound for years to come.   If you already do this, then disregard my 
suggestion.

There are some who will argue that driving the pins this late in the 
stringing process drives the string into the bridge, thus crushing the 
wood fibers.  There are trade offs in anything we do.  I happen to see 
better results by using this method.

Tim Coates


On Apr 6, 2006, at 6:34 PM, Jon Page wrote:

> To Plate Or Not To Plate... Bridge pins...
>
> That is the question.
>
> Stainless Steel (Jurgen) or Plated (Pianotek).
>
> Is the plating hardened enough, is the stainless
> pin less susceptible to corrosion via electrolysis?
>
> I'll be pounding new pins into epoxied bridge pin
> holes and want to install finished pins (not filed flat).
>
> Does it matter?
> -- 
>
> Regards,
>
> Jon Page
>