Subject: Re: upright pinblock replacement. HI Rob. Yes the piano had ample downbearing, which I find a bit unusual in an old piano. most of the time I have to lower the plate a bit on those old uprights. I used a "jig" of sorts to record plate height( a tapered piece of wood) and got it as close as possible. You also reminded me of a question that I do need to ask you and the group, is there a better and more accurate way to set the down bearing than what is described in the Travis book "a guide to restringing'? That has always has worked really well for me, but that method really depends upon sight than anything else. I know some guys measure downbearing in thousands of an inch. so when you are faced with a old piano that has lost some of it's crown, how do you know what the exact setting would be in that case? regarding your other question, the sides had to be removed, the glue joint had given way, and the inside had to have new veneer installed. I know the sides are sometimes rough to realign, but I don't like to have a side "cramp" me, even while restringing. BTW, I think I would rather restring than most anything else. I love hearing that "full piano" sound come back (especially if you heard it before!) Andy Andy, Interesting procedure here. I have a couple of questions, however... First, what about down bearing? Was there proper bearing before and thus you duplicated what was there, or did you change the hight of the block in any way for an adjustment? Of course you could still adjust some on the lower end of the plate, but was just wondering. Secondly, I was thinking about any difficulties drilling the pin holes at the extreme ends. It occurs to me that the tight space against the wall, (side), of the piano might be a problem. You mentioned that you made a "shelf" across the top. I assume you are referring to the similar technique on a grand when drilling with a modified drill press, correct? Just curious, Rob Goodale, RPT
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