string seating - was bridge caps

[Farrell]

> 2.) pegging pins rather than using oversized pins.

What is that? Please provide brief explanation. Is that pulling the bridge
pin, plugging the hole with a hard maple shoe peg, redrilling, and
installing new original sized bridge pin?

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <JIMRPT@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 9:45 PM
Subject: Re: string seating - was bridge caps


> Ron...sorry de debil made me do it :-)
>
>  Several years back, possibly as long as ten years ago, I had a series of
> rebuilds that all needed new bridges. Since I was going to install new
> bridges in each of these thingees (3 pianos) I decided to experiment with
> various and sundry methods of: tapping, bending, rubbing, pegging pins,
and
> using oversized pins.
>
> What I discovered was, in order of effectiveness:
> 1.) rubbing strings down from the speaking length side.
> 2.) pegging pins rather than using oversized pins.
> 3.) 'gentle' bending on the speaking length side.
> 4.) tapping pins from the speaking length side.
> 5.) tapping pins from the bridge side.
>
>  When tapping strings down on top of the bridge what I discovered was 'my'
> 'tendency' to put a small blip/bend/dinged spot in the wire no matter how
> careful I was when tapping. I removed each of the bridge tapped strings,
> after trying them for tone improvement, and the blip/bend/dinged spots
were
> seen as minute kinks in the wire. I used both brass and hard maple dowels
> ............... On the harder bridge it was not 'as much' of a problem as
it
> was on the two softer bridges. Full bridge contact was acheived by
> rubbing/pushing down the strings on both sides of the bridge....but there
was
> 'not' a corresponding improvement in tone quality over and above just
rubbing
> the front or speaking length.
>
>  Today my string manipulation falls into three categories:
> 1.) rubbing strings down from the speaking length side.
> 2.) using ca rather than using oversized pins.
> 3.) 'gentle' bending on the speaking length side.
>
> In other words I don't 'tap', or put another way....my shop is a tap free
> zone. :-)
> Course if tapping works for others who may be more delicate than I than I
> have no problem with them doing so.
> This better?
> Jim Bryant (FL)
>