wire coming out of beckett

[Joe And Penny Goss]

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Hi Mike,
Not often , but at  times the new string will break becuase of a falt in =
the wire. Just the other day at our chapter meeting it happened while =
replacing a string on an old beater we are doing a re whatever to raise =
chapte funds.=20
Yep twas I at the hammer when the string broke.
Remeasuring the string showed all materials used were correct, so a =
fresh wire off the same stock was used. My thinking was that too many =
cooks had been in the pot resulting in over stressing the wire at the =
bend causing the failure. In the situation that you describe, it would =
be my thought, though not liking the idea, to let the wire stick through =
the tuning pin about 1/4" so that the wire could be bent over ala cheep =
spinets from the 60s. I do not like the double bend as it makes =
replacing a broken string much harder. But if the old pin is holding =
fine why replace it when this repair will let it hold the new string?

Joe Goss
imatunr@srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Mike Bratcher=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 9:53 PM
  Subject: wire coming out of beckett


  Hi List,

  I tuned a piano today.  Very nice Kawai console, about 17 yrs old.  It =
looks like it's 2 years old.  Piano is up to pitch.  Nothing out of the =
ordinary.  I tuned up to f#7 and broke that string.  I could almost =
"tell" it was going to break.  The pitch wasn't changing and the pin got =
harder to turn.  But, I wasn't focusing on that, so it broke.

  Now comes the strange part.  I replaced the string.  As I was bringing =
it up to tension, it broke.  That's a first for me.  Let me start off by =
saying I think I'm a pretty good stringer.  Becketts are always tight in =
the pin, coils are perfect, the right number of coils and pin height is =
all perfect.  Ok....maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention when =
this string broke.  String number 2 (or three however you look at it)  =
put it on...again...perfect.  Finished tuning the piano.  Went back to =
touch-up tune the new strings and wow ....they dropped in pitch.  =
Ok...retune them.  retune them...retune them...retune them....HEY!  =
Something's going on here.  I stopped and tuned just one string.  As I =
tune, I bring it up to pitch, but now I keep playing the note with out =
turning the pin.  I can easily hear the pitch dropping.  I retune and =
the same thing.  I look at the pin, and the beckett is clearly slipping =
out.  Finally the whole thing pops out.  Damn...Next string I made sure =
there was wire poking out the other side.  Finished tuning it up and =
noticed the pitch was dropping on this new string too...Man how can this =
happen?

  I let the customer know there may be a problem here in the future, as =
I'm getting frustrated at this point.  Pitch was still dropping when I =
left.  I'm thinking I may need to replace the tuning pin.  I know I =
could just put the wire through farther and bend it over like Baldwin =
does on their vertical pianos.

  This shouldn't be happening right?  Like I said...I think I can string =
well enough, that that isn't the problem. =20

  Any thoughts

  Mike Bratcher
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