<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: [CAUT] CAUT String Repair Class....was unusual repair</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Hi Eric,     I tried it, and was successful the second through fifth times (got the second loop backwards the first time <G>). But I found it awkward and counter-intuitive, hard to figure out just which way things needed to be, and hard to get hold of the tail and spring it around while keeping everything in place. So I got to thinking there must be an easier way, and it occurred to me that the “sheetbend” knot would work well here. This is a knot I read about years ago and haven’t seen recently, a cross between the standard “tuner’s knot” and a square knot. Here’s a description of how to do it in this circumstance: Starting with a string broken at the capo (or agraffe) 1) Make a loop at the end of the short wire (coil still attached to the tuning pin). Direction doesn’t matter, just bring the tail of the loop around on top of the string. Loop should be a bit larger than “Spurlock style,” big enough for two wires to go through. 2) Bend the loop upward (make a bend in the short wire on the tuning pin side of the loop, right next to the tail). 3) Pull the end of the long wire through the loop, over the tail. 4) Make a U bend in the end of the long wire, horizontal, either direction. It should be tight, the size to go around one wire. Amount of wire about the same as for a loop. The end of the wire should end up close to parallel to the long wire (it’s okay if it crosses the long wire a wee bit). 5) Make a downward bend to the U a couple mm. in. You probably need to hold the short end of the wire with a pliers, screwdriver, or something so that both sides of the U get an equal bend. 6) Pass the short, free end of the U under the short wire (the one attached to the tuning pin). You will end up with the U bend straddling the short wire. 7) Pull the long wire back through the loop, guiding the end of the U through the loop (over the tail). 8) Pull tight and proceed as usual.     I find this a bit simpler to learn and to do. It’s a knot I use for bass strings where there isn’t much plain wire past the wrapping, but this is also a perfect place to use it. Try it, I think you’ll like it. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico On 2/28/07 1:36 PM, "Wolfley, Eric (wolfleel)" <WOLFLEEL@ucmail.uc.edu> wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>Fred, Yes, I do the slight loop bend on the short wire loop…it makes it easier to slide the long wire through and futz with it if you need to. I find that it is a little easier to make the tail on the long wire a little longer because it gives you a little more leverage when getting it to go into place. A great way to practice this is to take about 30” of wire (#14 ½ - just so you can get used to it). If it comes off of a 1 pound coil like mine does it will want to form a circle. With the cut ends of the circle to your right just make believe like the part of the wire coming up from the bottom is the “short” wire and the other cut end will mimic the “long” wire. Proceed as per the earlier instructions and you have spliced the circle together. Eric Wolfley, RPT Head Piano Technician Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati <HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="2" WIDTH="100%"> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Fred Sturm Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 2:52 PM To: College and University Technicians Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT String Repair Class....was unusual repair Cool! Makes plenty of sense, and seems like it would be pretty efficient. One trick being to keep that tail on the long section short, so it is easy to "spring" and slip around the other wire. And you probably wouldn't make that second loop quite as tight, for the same reason. Do you do the "bend over the tail" thing, giving the loop a bit of the angle it is going to need, or does that make it too hard to spring it around the other wire? Or maybe it would be easier. In my mind's eye it would be, now that I think about it. I'll experiment and see. (Here's where a picture would definitely be worth a lot more than a  bundle of confused words, but maybe you can interpret what I am getting at). Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm@unm.edu On Feb 28, 2007, at 12:09 PM, Wolfley, Eric ((wolfleel)) wrote: Fred, I’m sorry, I meant to mention that I don’t remove the short wire from the pin at all. I make my first loop clockwise on the short wire with the tail passing beneath the string, feed the long wire through the loop from the top so it traps the tail, pull it through 2-3 inches and make the second loop clockwise as well but with the tail passing over the top of the string. (They are both clockwise because the strings are coming from opposite directions). I then can spring the wire a little bit and slip the second loop into place around the short wire while the loops are still 2-3 inches apart. This all easier to show than to describe. Eric Head Piano Technician UniversityHeadUniversity </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>