On the subject of keep on learning, did I ever post about the time I chip-tuned an upright from the top down (C-8) with a chromatic tuner, only to remember about 1/2 way through that it was an 85-note piano!! ? ;>) Reverse-grip pins I believe originated in Japan, but by now may be universal. To be certain, we use Denro. If you hold the threaded end firmly in cloth, it will turn significantly easier in the tightening direction than the loosening. My experience is that they make little difference in normal conditions, but offer a greater degree of dependability in marginal situations. (to forestall the usual speculations about whether these threads advance pin-block wear or not... Yamaha and Kawai have been using them for decades... perhaps forever?) Sorry Alan, testing torque in the reverse direction (oops there I go again), "with" the pull of the string, takes string tension out of the picture. Most of us, including you and I presumeably go by feel, as 100 inch pounds might feel snug in one pin block, but spooky in another. However "numbers" are often helpful for our clients, so I keep an economy torque-wrench in my kit. When assessing a piano, "fifty inch-pounds" is my pass/fail spec. Any tuning-pin at this point or below gets chalked. This "visual" usually speaks louder than words, but sometimes it helps to also put the torque wrench in the client's hands, so they can actually feel what we are talking about. In the re-pin situation, any pin seated to final height that pulls less than 100 is typically a "fail," but within context. i.e.: this might work in the high treble, but definately not in the bass. The context continues to include what that 100 pound pin might become if we upsized once more... "manageable, or a broken stub!?" best regards, Mark C. Hey Mark, I keep on learning. To wit, what are "reverse-grip" tuning pins and where does one find them? And presumably by "reverse direction" you mean with (not against) the string pull. Thanks for sharing your method. Alan
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