tight pins

[David Love]

Throwing an electric current through the pins would probably be an easier
way and faster way to heat them up.  How you do that safely, I'm not sure,
but I do recall some years ago someone had a system for easing tight center
pins which involved two thin metal spatulas which could slip between the
hammer flanges.  When they contacted a center pin on either side of the
flange, it completed the circuit between the two spatulas and an electric
current ran through the center pin heating it up and easing the bushing, in
effect.    

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Diane Hofstetter
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:42 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: tight pins


Sid Stone once held a technical session at  his shop in which he applied
heat to each tuning pin via a soldering iron.  His theory was to heat the
pin, thereby causing it to expand somewhat and cause the hole to get larger.
I don't remember what his conclusions were (actually don't think there were
definitive results).

It always seemed to me that it would 1. take forever, and 2. since the
soldering iron would probably take a long time to heat each pin for 230
pins, it would take forever, and 3. since metal doesn't expand as much as
wood, it would take forever.

I remember once trying to heat pins wholesale with an iron to achieve the
same ends more quickly, but don't remember any positive results from doing
so.........

Maybe heat would work?  Maybe the piano should be put first in too humid a
condition, causing the wood to swell, then in too dry a condition, causing
the wood to shrink?  Actually, you might try some steam in a small section,
then the blow dryer on hot?  Also seems like it would take forever....

Protek?  Please Vince, some advice from experience?
Diane





Leslie Bartlett l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net 
Sat Jan 12 21:53:04 MST 2008


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________________________________


I actually had the music director try to pull a couple "up" a bit, and he
was quite shocked. I often have customers turn pins, both to try to get
something in tune, and to understand that this is actually an athletic
venture at times.
les bartlett



Diane Hofstetter