Pet Peeves(long becket)

[A440A@aol.com]

Fred asks;

> Manufacturers who run an extra length of wire through the becket
>and then bend it around the pin.  It makes string replacement so much fun.

   There was an old tech here for many years that did that, (as well as
rescaling all Steinways he got his hands on without using any half sizes, but
don't get me started on that!!)

       I prefer to cut the beckets off, then back the pins out, removing the
strings afterward,( I spend 5 or six minutes dropping the tension a little,
 but the beckets shear better if the coil is still somewhat tight).

     In order to shear the beckets on pins with the "coil lock",  I took one
of the coil setter tools,  and carefully ground away one side of the hole,
 for a distance of about 1/4 inch.  This must be done without heating up the
tool, or you will need to re-temper it to a sufficient hardness to shear the
wires.
     With this modification,  I can then support the block, and with a medium
to small hammer, easily shear the beckets, (though one must look to see where
the string's entrance to the pin is located).
    There is no need for a lot of force with the hammer, just velocity,  a
sharp, fast rap will cut the string cleanly at the pin.
Regards to all
Ed Foote
Precision Piano Works
Nashville, Tn.