Coils and tuning pin bushings

[Clyde Hollinger]

Friends,

First, thanks for your very helpful responses regarding "humidity problem - will
this fix it."

Second,  there was some confusion about which tuning pin bushings we were
talking about.  When I responded I was thinking of that sleeve that goes into
the hole, a part that is called a "metal tuning pin bushing" in the Schaff
catalog.  Others had in mind the wooden "tuning pin bushings" as Schaff refers
to them, the "collar" around each tuning pin.  The confusion is understandable
since the names of the two parts are so close, and of course Schaff is not the
final authority on the names of things, I suppose.

But now I do have a two-part question about "the right way to do things," which
relates to both the "wooden collar" tuning pin bushings and making the coil.  I
have been under the assumption that if I need to replace a string, the proper
way is to make the coil and becket first, slip the coil over the tuning pin and
draw it tight.  This reduces the number of turns I need to make on the pin and
theoretically reduces the chance of making the hole larger and reducing the
torque.  I almost never do this, usually opting for backing the pin out three
turns and making the coil on the pin.  Is this a serious no-no?

I check first to see what torque I am dealing with.  I use a larger tuning pin
if the original is too loose.  I did make the coils beforehand when I was
replacing a pair of single-wound strings in a Steinway grand, since on a piano
of that quality I didn't want to take the chance of making a choice that I might
regret later.  This worked out fine, but it took me considerably longer, since
it was not the way I usually do things.

Second part.  On a Young Chang grand which is played heavily and needs frequent
string replacements, I use my standard procedure, backing the pin out three
turns.  But even if I were to back the tuning pin out only one turn, the bushing
moves with the pin and starts coming up out of the hole.  When I tighten the pin
again, will the bushing go back in the hole?  Huh-uh!  What do the rest of you
do in a situation like this?  I'm embarrassed to say I have no experience in
replacing tuning pin bushings and am not even sure how to start, although I
could experiment.  I presume that when doing a total restringing, the bushings
go in before the pins do.  This is a different situation.

Regards,
Clyde