At 06:10 PM 10/23/02, Alan R. Barnard wrote: >Pins are only about 20-25 in. lbs. torque. Personally, I do not tune pianos with 20-25 inch-pounds torque if I can help it. In fact, my last appointment of the day was condemning a Lester Betsy Ross spinet with 10-20 inch pounds torque. There is no sense in tuning a piano like this. Frustrates the tuner, frustrates the piano owner, and wastes your time and their money. A piano with low torque (20-25 inch-pounds torque) is not tuneable and needs repairs before a tuning will hold. 50 inch-pounds is ok, below 50 inch-pounds is not. 70 inch-pounds torque is much better. The piano needs (in order of cost) 1. A new pinblock 2. Restringing with larger tuning pins 3. A set of larger tuning pins (but if you have 16 year old wire, watch out for breaking strings while replacing the tuning pins) 4. Remove all tuning pins, swab inside of tuning pin holes with marine epoxy, reinstall tuning pins. 5. CA glue treatment of the pinblock - (Alan, look in the archives or write me about this repair.) 6. Shimming individual tuning pins. (Note this is INDIVIDUAL tuning pins. If you have a lot of loose tuning pins, shimming is not the way to go, in my opinion.) >Tunes okay, doesn't hold. Has DC installed 4 mos. ago. Torque is too low to hold. Piano is untunable with 20-25 inch-pounds torque. My frustration level with loose tuning pins is such that if the torque is too low, I won't tune. I hate call backs, and I hate doing work that I can't guarantee. >Alan Barnard >Performing CPR (Critical Piano Repairs) in Salem, MO Alan, call me, or e-mail. I'd like to help if I can. Sincerely, David Vanderhoofven Joplin, MO
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC