[pianotech] Rugged Rachals

[John Ross]

That metal shim is a product that was/is sold by the supply houses to 
tighten up a loose pin.
Remove it and use a larger pin, or veneer shim.
They are a useless product, and should not be sold.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <david at piano.plus.com>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2009 6:22 AM
Subject: [pianotech] Rugged Rachals


Yesterday I tuned a piano rescued from a local church which closed when
the congregation amalgamated with another. I last tuned it about 20 years
ago in the church hall and was a little intrigued by it then.

It's a Rachals from about 1899 (number 9522 I think), 'ruggedised' for
India. It's 56" high with a big powerful sound.  It's really a  candidate
for a full restoration, but the owners have been spending a lot of money
restoring their old brownstone type apartment.

The pics show some of the extra features, like the pinned key bushings,
and the double hammer staples.  The plate is angled back at the top.

One pin was very loose and would not hammer further into the block. I
removed it to fit a shim, and on peering into the hole with a flashlight,
it seems to be lined with a copper or bronze (or other metal) tube, with a
closed or almost-closed end, like a miniature cigar tube.  I only removed
this one tuning pin and it had evidently had work before, as the string
had only one coil.  So I don't know whether the metal tube was a previous
shim or if they all have them.  Has anyone heard of pnblocks being fitted
with metal 'sleeves' as part of ruggedising the construction for extreme
climates?

The construction throughout is prettty massive. The capstan wires are
4.02mm  diameter, for example.  But curiously, there is evidence of a flaw
at manufacture. The top of the capstans bear on the very edge of the
wippen felt and in fact with the note depressed, the capstans are partly
off the felt.

I'm sory the pics aren't great, as I only had my cellphone camera.