<HTML style="FONT-SIZE: x-small; FONT-FAMILY: MS Sans Serif"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#d8d0c8> <DIV>Cy-</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Were the pinblock, bridge cap and soundboard replaced during the "Steinway rebuild?"  Was this "Steinway rebuild" done at the Steinway factory in New York, or by the local Steinway dealer?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Are all the bass tuning pins loose, or just a few?  How about the rest of the tuning pins? If this is a new pin block, this could be due to sloppy drilling or poor choice of tuning pins.   Is there room on the pin to allow driving it a bit deeper into the block?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>CA glue is a very good emergency repair.  It doesn't damage the pin block or enlarge the hole, thus leaving the option of repinning the entire instrument or section with larger pins of one size.  (The only risk I've found is that on a vertical it may drip through onto the floor!)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You might write a letter saying that you have identified apparent problems in the pin block, bridge and soundboard, that these may be caused by extremes of humidity, and that you cannot evaluate the extent of these problems unless the climate control system is activated.  You can get a booklet from Damp-Chaser that may help, and also be sure the system is adequate.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Your plans for North Bennett Street are wonderful.  Good luck!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Ed Sutton</DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=741662027@theshusters.org href="mailto:741662027@theshusters.org">Cy Shuster</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To: </B><A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">CAUT</A></DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> 4/15/2005 10:19:08 PM </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] CA for loose pins on a "D"?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT size=2> <DIV><FONT size=2>I've been studying piano technology for ten years, on and off (I've passed the RPT written exam), and have been tuning professionally for a year and a half.  I've applied to North Bennet St. for this fall.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I was just asked to take care of an S&S D for a local community college.  It's 1917 vintage (played by Rachmaninoff at one time!), and rebuilt by Steinway about ten years ago.  It's suffering from humidity damage: 8" crack in the soundboard behind and under the treble bridge and elsewhere, false beats in the low tenor (loose bridge pins?), and loose tuning pins in the bass.  One or two are so loose I was tempted to mute them, for fear they wouldn't survive a concert.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Of the needed repairs, the only one's I'm qualified to do are to CA the loose pins, which I've done successfully three times previously.  I'll happily do this on someone's no-name, 100-year-old, 4'8" neonatal grand with rusty strings, but I want to ask for advice before doing anything irreversible to an instrument of this caliber.  I can do the repair without side effects, I'm sure (I pull the action and use copious amounts of plastic tarps), but still...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Is the right thing to do to simply write up a report and say that it needs a new pinblock, bridge cap, and at least epoxy in the soundboard cracks?  Or let Steinway re-evaluate it?  Is it better to pull the loose pins and shim with sandpaper or veneer rather than risking CA?  Will Steinway scoff if they get a CA'd pinblock to replace?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Side note: it has a disassembled DC system... sigh...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>--Cy Shuster--</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Bluefield, WV</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>