[CAUT] Wurlitzer Iron Pinblock - Anyone ever restring one of these things?

Kendall Ross Bean kenbean at pacbell.net
Thu Sep 11 20:49:16 MDT 2008


I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience restringing one of
these, or has any tips, advice or suggestions. (Yes, I have one I am
attempting to restring....)
 
The subject is a 7' Wurlitzer grand from the 1920's. It has the unique
tuning pins that have conical bottoms that are wedged by screws against the
cast iron plate web. 
 
(See attached photo:)  
 

 
(The picture is of the upright configuration. Turn it 90 degrees clockwise
and you will have the grand I am working on.) 
 
The plate web is very thick (15/16"), and substitutes for the usually
pinblock.
 
Since the tuning pins are inserted into the web/block from the underside,
and are then wedged in place by the screw, I was just wondering if anyone
had any ideas how these might have been strung at the factory, or how one
might go about restringing one, since you can't simply wind the coil on the
pin in the normal way and then just stick it in the block.
 
Any ideas, advice, or experience you could share would be most appreciated.
Or if anyone can point me to anything in the archives....
 
(The pins and block are still in excellent condition, and the design seems
to work quite well. The screw behind the tuning pin will give a fairly wide
latitude of pin torques, based on how much the screw is tightened. There is
some kind of graphite grease or lubricant on the pin where it contacts the
iron plate. The pins seem to be nickel plated. I think this design might
have been intended originally as a tropicalizing measure.)
 
It's actually quite a nice piano. -Sort of a loose copy of a Steinway model
B. So I thought it would be worth restoring. (Except the plate, of course,
is a lot heavier, -on the front end.)
 
I have also run into other Wurlitzer grands of the period with a similar
tuning pin setup. Also very nice pianos. Evidentally back in the day they
made some serious grands. (Or somebody made them for Wurlitzer. The action
on this grand has Apollo written on it in pencil....)
 
Please let me know if anyone has had experience (good, bad, or indifferent)
with one of these. 
 
Thanks,
 
Kendall Ross Bean
 
PianoFinders
www.pianofinders.com <http://www.pianofinders.com/> 
e-mail: kenbean at pianofinders.com
phone: (925) 676-3355
 
Connecting Pianos and People
 
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