[pianotech] New string broke twice

[Noah Frere]

I epoxied a bridge for an Acrosonic #293752. String #33 was broken (the
right string of G#2). I don't remember at this point if I had the broken
string to measure, or if I ordered based on the left string specs. Ordered
string from Schaff. It broke above the V-bar while bringing it up to pitch.
I could feel too much tension before it was even a semitone away. Sure
enough it snapped before it reached pitch. I spliced it - snapped again.

Schaff was kind enough to replace it at no charge. I figured it was a flawed
string. Again, the same exact feeling and pop. Right at the point the string
begins to coil on the pin. I could feel it coming. Probably should have
looked more closely before popping it. The string was straight, which tells
me it wasn't catching on anything. I can't imagine why the epoxied bridge
cracks should effect it. I have installed dozens of strings, and don't feel
like I did anything wrong. Could it be a whole batch of string is flawed?

Today I measured the left string, and it did read .001" smaller core
diameter and .002" smaller copper diameter. The length of the winding looked
good. I didn't think this is significant enough to break a string, but I'm
not sure. (It is significant enough to give a poor unison though.) I tested
the strings adjacent, lowering pitch and re-raising to see how tight they
feel - they felt normal.

I'm thinking of ordering from a different company, being super careful while
replacing, and seeing what happens. If it works normally, I could call
Schaff and ask for a refund. If they refuse, no big deal. However, if this
new string breaks even after being *super* careful, then I'm at a loss. I
will order based on the left string measurements, naturally.

Has this happened to any of you?

FYI the strings that broke - and yes I mic'd them before installing - were
.040 core; .118 winding; hitch to winding 5 1/8"; winding length 30 3/4".
The new string will be the same lengths but .039 core and .116 winding.
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