Wire breakage

[A440A at aol.com]

William writes:

<< I tell my customers that corrosion settles on the coils of the pins, where
strings usually brake. <<

      I believe that the point of curvature at the coil, where the string 
first meets the tuning pin, is the weakest part of the string.  All friction at 
the agraffe, bearing bars and felts, as well as string tension, accumulates at 
this point.  It is also at this point that the tuning flexes the string back 
and forth.  I do not see corrosion on the coil as a contributing factor.  
 
>>If a piano is not tuned often, the wire
crystallizes into place and strings can brake, no matter what we do.   >>

      I have reservations about this, but I would ask someone with metallurgy 
expertise to comment on the crystallization process in carbon steel. 
Regards,  

Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html