[pianotech] Slipping Becket

[Encore Pianos]

That's definitely worthy, Ron.  However, I really enjoy the 110 plus cursing
and gnashing of teeth struggles with the becket breaker muckled onto the
tuning pin when I destring a piano.  What can I do to replace this addictive
act of self-abuse so that I don't get bored?  

Will Truitt

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ron Nossaman
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 11:01 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Slipping Becket

On 1/27/2012 9:11 AM, David Love wrote:

> There is clearly something about the pin which is causing this to 
> happen but I'm not sure exactly what that is.  Thoughts?

There was a discussion about this sometime last year, buried among the HL
bitch posts. A sharper bend at the becket *might* work, but I guarantee that
a longer becket bent over to prevent it's being pulled back into the pin
will lock it in.

I know, HORRORS!!!! But it's one pin, and immediately fixes the symptoms
without unduly disturbing anything else. It's a pain to remove later. So
what? It's ONE PIN. In futile hope of heading off the multiple lectures
someone is almost sure to deliver on the unprofessionalism of stringing a
piano this way, no, I don't recommend that. This, however, is a matter of
expedient practicality.

Since someone else out there is certain to actually string entire pianos
that way, like the piano I have in the shop at the moment, I have a further
recommendation.

Faced with a double bend locked in becket on every single 4/0 pin in this
piano, I dug out an old becket breaker and fired up the bench grinder. One
of the problem with becket breakers is that if any of the becket protrudes
from the far side from the primary bend, the breaker will jam on it and
precipitate 200+ life and death struggles in the course of destringing. The
pictured modification largely prevents that. 
Normally, I just let the tension down, pry the becket out with an awl and
lever the coil off the top of the pin, and cut the strings at the agraffe or
capo, then pull the plate with the pins still in the block. 
In this case, I found it easier to cut the beckets at the primary bend with
the modified tool, and pull the pins out through the coils with my air
impact driver.

For what it's worth,
Ron N