<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6001.18099" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Years ago I had an upright with these pins.  I was going to restring it until I realized what the system was.  It was amazing that the tuning pins were very tight.  I think if you back out (down on a grand) the screw a little to loosen the tuning pin then put the new string in and do your normal wraps, then tighten the screw up again it will work.  The stringing would be like a normal string replacement with the tuning pin already in the piano.  I have no idea to the amount of time to restring one.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Clarence Zeches</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=kenbean@pacbell.net href="">Kendall Ross Bean</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="">'College and University Technicians'</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:49 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] Wurlitzer Iron Pinblock - Anyone ever restring one of thesethings?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>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....)</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>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. </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>(See attached photo:)  </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008><IMG alt="" hspace=0 src="cid:5D450786D24B4876AD599EBAD3181EB0@ClarencePC" align=baseline border=0></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>(The picture is of the upright configuration. Turn it 90 degrees clockwise and you will have the grand I am working on.) </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>The plate web is very thick (15/16"), and substitutes for the usually pinblock.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>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.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>Any ideas, advice, or experience you could share would be most appreciated. Or if anyone can point me to anything in the archives....</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>(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.)</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>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 <EM>lot</EM> heavier, -on the front end.)</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>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 <EM>somebody</EM> made them for Wurlitzer. The action on this grand has Apollo written on it in pencil....)</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>Please let me know if anyone has had experience (good, bad, or indifferent) with one of these. </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>Thanks,</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=277384101-12092008>Kendall Ross Bean</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV align=left> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007>PianoFinders</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><A title=http://www.pianofinders.com href="http://www.pianofinders.com/">www.pianofinders.com</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007>e-mail: <A title=mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com href="mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com">kenbean@pianofinders.com</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007>phone: (925) 676-3355</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><EM>Connecting Pianos and People</EM></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>