<html><div>Actually, there is a piano technician/welder in our area (Ogden, Utah) that has welded literally 100's of plates without a failure.  His name is Wilford Young.  The secret to a succesful weld in cast iron, isto go slow.  IOW, dress the crack (vee-shaped), and weld only an inch at a time, let it cool down, then go for another inch, etc. until it's done.</div> <div>I don't think the plate/bolt idea will work.  Reweld.</div> <br> <div>At 07:34 AM 3/21/00 -0500, you wrote:</div> <div>>OK, Guys, I need help</div> <div>></div> <div>>Hazleton Bros. 5'10"  Grand.  Neatly rebuilt, (by me).  Too little</div> <div>>downbearing in the treble, so I lowered it a bit.  (I've Done such things</div> <div>>before.)  Brought up the tension nice and evenly, installed dampers,</div> <div>>sounding good at A-440, ready for fine tuning.  </div> <div>></div> <div>>During the Fine Tuning:   THWUNK !!  I couldn't see anything, so I played</div> <div>>a chromatic scale.  It climbed nicely until I passed the last strut, and</div> <div>>dropped a fourth.  Then I could see the crack, travelling toward the</div> <div>>Northeast, but holding near the edge of a circular sound hole.  I QUICKLY</div> <div>>dropped tension on that section, and then dropped the rest of the piano.</div> <div>></div> <div>>Fortunately this pinblock is only attached to the frame, and not to the</div> <div>>case, so I loosed everything, pulled out the frame with the block and</div> <div>>strings intact, and called a welder who assured me he could handle this. </div> <div>></div> <div>>Re-painted, reinstalled, strings back in place, tension up to A-440 and</div> <div>>holding.   Last Friday before bed I played a chromatic scale again, and</div> <div>>it wasn't chromatic. . . . . .  So I dropped the tension on the last</div> <div>>section and went to bed.</div> <div>></div> <div>>There's more to welding cast iron then I knew.  My welder did not heat</div> <div>>the plate, nor cool it slowly, as I hear is necessary.  And I've heard</div> <div>>from a far more skilled fellow, that this kind of welding is very much an</div> <div>>art.</div> <div>></div> <div>>Question:  What if I had a steel plate created, and with PC-7 between it</div> <div>>and the underside of the frame to give it strong frictional contact,</div> <div>>drilled, tapped and bolted  this plate in place below the cracked area. </div> <div>>It would be out of sight, and providing considerable strength for that</div> <div>>area.  Would this be sufficient to bear the tension and give us our whole</div> <div>>piano back?</div> <div>></div> <div>>Roger C. Hayden, RPT</div> <div>>Clarks Summit, PA</div> <div>>________________________________________________________________</div> <div>>YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!</div> <div>>Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!</div> <div>>Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:</div> <div>><a href="http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj</a>.</div> > <br> <b>Vinny<br> </b><u>Institute Committee member, PTG<br> </u><i><<a href="mailto:vince@byu.edu" eudora="autourl">mailto:vince@byu.edu</a>><br> <br> </i></html>