Loose Pin Therapy

[burgess macneal]

When there are very loose pins, I mark them with chalk (as you do) and
let the customer see how many are loose.  Then I let the customer move
the tuning hammer to feel the difference in torque between a marked pin
and "good" (sometimes there aren't any real good ones) pin, and explain
that the dry pin block is a terminal illness that needs immediate
attention.  By now, I really have their attention.

Two options are presented:  Dampp Chaser system to benefit whole piano,
or no-cost therapy to re-swell the pin block.  Therapy is to leave lid
open for three summers... starting in May, ending when heat is first
turned on in Fall.  Pin block will really improve after three summers.
Natch, there's a caution that filling the piano case with humid air has
bad side effects not good for piano or tuning... and here's another
opportunity to sell a Dampp Chaser.

I'm in a very rural area (Appalachia) and get lots of "Well, we haven't
tuned it for twenty years, so why should we tune it now" comments.
Those folks are not interested in Dampp Chasers.  Best way to sell one
to a home is to make loose pin demonstration as above.

Had a customer with a Steinway baby grand where 20 bottom pins wouldn't
hold.  Showed her the extent of the problem.  She put an electric room
humidifier on the bench and aimed it at the pin block.  In a month,
block recovered sufficiently to hold pins well.  Not sure what effect
that had on strings... she married and moved away.

Carolyn Macneal
RPT2B - PTG Roanoke Chapter