Is that plate broken?

[Zen Reinhardt]

Hi Ken -

First question -- how is the tuning?  Weird question, I know ....

I remember reading in the Journal a few years back about a D that got hit
from above by a collapsed roof and surviving the blow in style.  Lost a
couple of unisons and sustained some cosmetic injuries, and that was about
all.

Then a little more than a year ago I heard from a friend about another D
that fell when the dolly under the skid broke.  The only known cushioning
it got besides the moving blankets it was wrapped in was the foot of one of
the movers, who is still out on disability.  Apparently, the overall tuning
pitch dropped 30 cents on average, and there were massive cracks in the
bellyrail.  There was probably considerably more damage, the details of
which I don't know, except that the plate seems to have survived it all. 
The remains of that piano got sent back to Steinway for rebuilding, and I
have yet to hear how that one is coming along, or what other damages were
uncovered by the people there.

I guess this still doesn't answer your question about how to check for
hidden damage of the plate, but what I'm getting at is that there may be
other structural damage.  Good luck.

ZR!  RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net
----------
> From: Ken Hale <kenhale@dcalcoda.com>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Is that plate broken?
> Date: Friday, September 26, 1997 1:56 AM
> 
> Hi,
> 
> On the way to a concert an old 6' Steinway grand had an accident. It
> broke loose from the strap which was holding it up against the wall
> inside a small moving van.:-{ It seems that it landed on it's top,
> in the middle of the van floor, slightly protected by a few moving
> blankets.
> 
> There is a visible crack on the lid's treble side, the fallboard broke
> loose from the bass cheekblock hinge, cracking along it's length
> (about a foot). Some other case damage and a little action damage
> inside may be related to the fall.
> 
> The plate and soundboard look OK. It is easy to see cracks in the
> soundboard, if present. There are no visible, to my eye, cracks in the
> plate.
> 
> The owners are concerned about the plate having fine cracks that might
> not show up to the eye. It seems like a valid concern to me.
> 
> My question is how would one go about making sure that there are no
> fine cracks? One could be on the underside and not cause problems
> until one late night when the wood is creaking or I am sitting there
> lost, in listening to those beautiful intervals and shimmering beats.
> 
> I actually can not think of any way to be 100% sure, besides 
> destringing and maybe taking it to the auto repair place for one of
> those "what-da-ya-call-its" where they test for cracks in engine
> blocks. There is insurance that would probably cover it, but is it
> really necessary?
> 
> I would appreciate hearing anyone else's experience with these kinds
> of situations.
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> 
> 
> Ken Hale, RPT
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