Dopey Tuning

[Farrell]

I have used CA with good sucess in general. I glued a block in a cheap grand
(loose AND very jumpy pins) a couple weeks ago and it was my first total
disaster with CA. A waste of time and glue (and her money). No beneficial
effect at all. I ended up shimming 28 pins and told her that next time there
will likely be a few more. Shame, piano was recently restrung. Guess the guy
(or gal) didn't know tuning pins get loose.

The few other times I sucessfully used CA, I have used 2 or 3 of the 2 oz.
bottles - I gooped in in until it would not go in any more. Some recent
posts suggested just a few drops is all that is needed. So this time I used
less - about 1 oz. total. I wonder if that is why it did not work this time.

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2000 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: Dopey Tuning


> Course there is pinblock dope and there is pinblock dope. Actually the old
Pin
> tite and similiar products are quite different approaches from CA and
Epoxy
> methods and I am not sure the "dope" is the right word for these latter. I
never
> had any good results from the old style of dope either and what you
describe is
> what I always ended up with.. stopped useing that kinda thing long time
back
> now.
>
> I have heard some say that applying CA to pinblocks that have been treated
thus
> can greatly improve the situation, but CA is something I have very little
> experience with so I will leave that to others to confirm or deny
>
>
> Farrell wrote:
>
> > Well, last night I tuned my first (for sure) pin block doped piano. 1926
> > Cable upright - much better than average condition - grandmother bought
it
> > new. Bass restrung about 15 years ago. The tuning pin collars were
black,
> > and some dark tarry-looking goop was on plate in tuning pin area (likely
> > doped at time of bass restring). And EVERY pin was REAL MUSHY! A bit
hard to
> > tune - seemed like you needed a new hammer technique. It felt like
someone
> > put a thin collar of neoprene around each tuning pin. Torque was
typically
> > pretty low, likely ranged from 20 to 50 inch-pounds (estimate). It just
felt
> > like notes were going to start creeping flat as I was driving home from
the
> > job. Is this a problem with doped pinblocks - creeping flat in short
periods
> > of time?
> >
> > Terry Farrell
> > Piano Tuning & Service
> > Tampa, Florida
> > mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
>
> --
> Richard Brekne
> RPT, N.P.T.F.
> Bergen, Norway
>
>
>