Breaking strings (new angle?)

[Elian Degen]

Dear Friends

I have been tuning pianos for almost a quarter of century already, and
lately I have had no broken strings, even though most of the pianos I tune
are very old and many of them have not been tuned for many years.

I agree with the theory of the sticky rings, no mater the make of the piano,
or the condition, or the angle.

For many years now I adopted a method, I use it specially when I find an
instrument that is very flat, and has not been tuned for many years,

First I give the tuning hammer a short blow to untighten  the string,
normally when the string was sticking somewhere or the piano was not tuned
for long time you can hear a ping sound as it comes loose, afterwards I take
it up also with a fast movement up to its frequency, since I am using this
method I had a very low rate of broken strings, almost none.

My two cents worth

Elian Degen
Piano Tuner and Technician
Caracas, Venezuela  degen@telcel.net.ve
Phone 58-2-748547/ 58-14-9222981 Fax 58-2-748547

-----Mensaje original-----
De: Clyde Hollinger <cedel@redrose.net>
Para: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Fecha: Jueves, 25 de Febrero de 1999 08:42 a.m.
Asunto: Breaking strings (new angle?)


>Friends:
>
>Since most strings break at the tuning pin, could one reason be that it
>has been flexed there too much during tuning?  If so, we will find
>strings breaking faster in a piano where an inexperienced tuner went
>back and forth, back and forth, trying to figure out where to leave the
>tension.
>
>Would it also follow, then, that a piano tuned 2-4 times a year will
>develop a breaking string problem faster than one that is tuned
>infrequently?  (Please!  I am NOT advocating out of tune pianos; my
>question is theoretical.)
>
>I am almost afraid to ask these questions, but they have crossed my mind
>repeatedly, and I would be interested in any response.
>
>Clyde Hollinger, RPT
>