re breaking strings

[Les Smith]

On Wed, 7 Oct 1998, Dick Powell wrote:

>  As has been posted here before, sometimes a drop or two of lubricant--
> applied with a toothpick, rather than a hypo-oiler, or small brush--can
> work wonders when the technician encounters excessive friction at a
> bearing point.   
> 
> Les, just wondering why a tooth pick works better than using a oiler or a
> small brush.
> Dick

Hi, Dick:

Well, I guess I could have added, "better than a spray can, too!"! When
using a lubricant anywhere in the vicinity of the tuning pins, you have
to be careful that it doesn't get where you don't want it. Both an hypo-
oiler (even those small ones) and a brush invite excess. The toothpick
allows you to control the amount more precisely. Even so, it's a good 
idea to have a rag handy, as it's easy to over-do it. You also have to
be careful--especially on an upright--that the lubricant doesn't run 
down a bass string and get into the winding. Easy does it.

Also when you walk in on a piano which hasn't been tuned in a while,
or one where you can see and feel the corrosion on the strings, I
think it's a good idea to let down the tension on the string slightly,
before pulling it up--just enough to hear a "tick". If the string is
hanging up at all at the bearing point and you just pull it up, you're
going to increase the tension in the short section between the tuning
pin and the bearing point, possibly causing it to break. On the other
hand, if you slightly drop the tension here first, there's less chance
of breakage. The tip off to look for is that as soon as the tuning pin
moves, you should hear the pitch of the string change, too. If it    
doesn't, LOOK OUT! This is important to pay attention to, because it
doesn't just occur when there is excessive friction at a bearing point. 
Be aware that in older pianos--both grands and uprights--it is not at
all uncommon to find a note where the strings have been crossed--that
is the middle pin does NOT control the middle string of a three string
unison, but an outer one and vice-versa. Although you might think this
just the result of some previous technician's sloppy work, such is not
always the case. I have seen pianos in ORIGINAL CONDITION, where they
were strung in the factory this way, and no one ever cared enough to
correct the problem, but just tuned them this way. This happens mostly
in older, lower-quality instruments. I remember one ancient Kranich &
Bach which had three different unisons strung this way. Incredible.

Les Smith