Air Hammer

[Carl Meyer]

I've used a tool I made to drive pins.  I took a shaft coupler, also called
a coupler nut and inserted a 3/8 bolt (of any lenth you choose) with a lock
nut so that you can adjust the depth of the pin.  At the end of the coupler
I took a piece of 1/8 thick rubber (plumbing supply) punched a hole the size
of the tuning pin and crazy glued it to the end of the coupler.  It helps to
belt sand the end of the coupler to get a flat surface for gluing.  Trim
with scissors and this will bottom out on the pin block or plate without
marring.  The coupler is
9/16 hex and 1 3/4 long.  I usually start the pins with a small hammer and
orient the becket hole to be about 1-oclock,  then drive  the pin with a 2
lb hammer.
You might want to drill out some of the threads and insert a piece of rubber
tubing, but I haven't done that yet since I've not had any trouble with
marring the pins.

Since I can't stand anybody having better toys, I just ordered a nailer.  I
ordered the next size so I can just cut off the head of the bolt and use the
nailer on the bolt shaft.  The head is replaceable for different size nails.
Nailer is the same power etc. for all the models.  It's the one we've been
talking about. Price is about 160 dollars.

Regards

Carl Meyer

----- Original Message -----
From: jolly roger <baldyam@sk.sympatico.ca>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 8:39 AM
Subject: Re: Air Hammer


> Hi Brian,
>              I had a 14" pin punch made up for the shop, lot's of
> clearance. It is epecially good for the bottom bass strings in verticals,
> up and past the side of the case. You know the type where they strung the
> back assembly in the factory,  then glued the case around it.
>  Most pianos I have to use it for the bottom two strings, the air hammer I
> have gets too close to the case for comfort.
> Roger
>
>
> At 07:29 AM 5/2/01 -0400, you wrote:
> >Hi Greg,
>
> >Speaking of beating things up...  It's very easy on the old conventional
> >method of hammering in those tuning pins to go a little longer than
needed
> >between breaks and get tired or get a little distracted or whatever, and
> >next thing you know, you have a two pound hammer that MISSES the tuning
pin
> >punch and has a brief but painful meeting with either the stretcher, the
> >plate or the hand holding the punch requiring a touch up in the wood,
touch
> >up of the plate or a Band-Aid or some ice, or...
> >
> >Have fun!
> >
> >Brian Trout
>
>