>If you were in this situation, what would you do? Tom Cole< Hi Tom - With a dyed-in-the-wool do-it-yourselfer (a DITWDIY?) and a Melville Clark upright (which you could argue as being either a PSO or a POS), here's what I would do. I'm sure everyone else will be up in arms (UIA?) about this but what the heck - you asked for it. In a nutshell, I would advise repinning the piano with size 4 pins (that's assuming the pins are all original size 2's), then let him do as much of the work as possible. Copy off the instructions on the Schaff website concerning repinning and email or send them to him ahead of time to familiarize him with the process. Then take a drive up the mountain to deliver the tools he'll need and help him get started. Charge him a half day labor or so for the assistance you're giving him, plus whatever you want to charge for a box of pins. Write up a rental agreement for the tools you're leaving with him, along with an itemize list of what he's taking possession, and the value thereof. Have him sign a statement that he will cover replacement cost if necessary, in addition to paying a per diem rental. If you don't trust him implicitly, have him put down a cash deposit to cover the total cost of the tools before you leave (warn him ahead of this of course). Sign a statement that you'll return the money, less the rental fee, when the tools are safely back in your possession. As far as repinning with larger pins are concerned, there is the possibility of widening cracks. If there are a number of pins in a row that are loose, that is a likelihood. If it's overall looseness however, new pins can do wonders. However (and I realize this is not the general consensus), success depends on freshening the hole, and not just swabbing it out. Use a size 4 drill in a quick in-and-out motion to create a fresh cut to drive the new pins in. Anyway, that's all covered in the article on the Schaff website. Stress that with that age of an upright, there can be no guarantee of results, but typically a great deal of improvement is gained. I tuned 2 pianos this week which I have repinned in the past with size 4's - a 1890 or so Steinway upright, and a 1960's Wurlitzer spinet. In both cases the pins are tight (75- 90 inch pounds), even though we're in the middle of an Iowa winter. Both pianos previously had pins so loose that when you tightened up the string, and let go of the hammer the pin would turn backwards in the hole by itself. Now they are not only tuneable, but very stable. If the mountain-man didn't want to subject himself to that much work (I spend almost exactly 12 hours on a repinning job - someone doing it for the first time could expect that number to double or triple), I would suggest the CA treatment - either lying the piano on it's back and applying it around the pins, or pulling the pins and swabbing in the hole. The nice thing about CA, is that you'll know right away whether it's going to work or not. No waiting around like we used to do with Lunsford's or Garfield's. This is not, I realize, what most technicians would do. But, you asked for what I would do. I'm looking at this somewhat from the opposite side of the street, so to speak. I've done a lot of do-it-yourself work around my home and in my shop on things that I'm really not qualified to do, with varying degrees of success. Occasionally, I've enlisted the help of an expert to get me started on a project (for pay), and I know that type of arrangement can work well. In your case, do what feels right for you. Chuck Behm -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110122/ef9187dc/attachment.htm>
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