Dopey Tuning

[Farrell]

My general rule is to not treat an entire pinblock unless many pins are so
loose they will not hold pitch, and others are pretty loose. I have always
used about 4 oz. of CA to do an entire piano (most of it in the pinblock
;-). I have had pretty good results. The grand I Ca'ed recently I finally
tried just a squirt on each pin. Used about 1 oz. total. Total failure. Did
not help much at all.

So I don't know what the best thing is. Although, I do know that next time I
will apply it until it will take no more!

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Clyde Hollinger" <cedel@supernet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 22, 2000 7:50 AM
Subject: Re: Dopey Tuning


> Friends,
>
> I am still a little stymied on using CA on pinblocks.  (Aren't we good at
> pounding this subject to death?!)  I only recently started doing this and
have
> done maybe three or four so far.
>
> I heard someone in a convention mini-technical say you only need three or
four
> drops; I think he said four.  So I applied enough so I could see it wick
around
> the entire pin.  That used about 1/3 bottle and wasn't too successful.
>
> I also used an entire 2-oz. bottle on an old upright.  I just kept going
over
> the pins until the bottle was empty.  That covered all the pins twice and
most
> of them three times.  When I went back to tune the piano a couple weeks
later
> they were so tight they felt like they would twist off!
>
> So I know my experience is limited, but it makes me wonder if two or three
> bottles really do any more good than one.  Is it too much of a good thing?
I do
> feel that several drops aren't enough, unless the pins weren't all that
loose to
> begin with.  Comments?
>
> Regards, Clyde
>
>
>
> Farrell wrote:
>
> > 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
> > >
> > >
> > >
>
>
>