<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)"> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PostalCode"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"/> <o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"/>  <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple> <div class=Section1> I use a 4” grinder with a cutting wheel on it. It will slice right through the wires like hot butter. I cut just through the wires in front of the tuning pin field. Each time you put the cutting wheel down you’ll cut through several wires at once. You can cut a whole section in 5 seconds, but it may not be prudent to do it quite that fast. I’ll cut a few notes, then move to a different section and cut a few more, trying to bring the tension down a little uniformly. It may not get the last 4 or 5 wires in section if the strut is close.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> If you do this in the bass section be prepared for the strings to go flying and gouging into the back of the case. Line the back of the rim with cardboard and lay a moving blanket on top of the strings. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Now put on your goggles and use the electric drill. Many of the wire remnants will come out with the pin, some will break off and stay. It’s all good either way. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <div> Dean<o:p></o:p> <u1:PERSONNAME u2:st="on">Dean May</u1:PERSONNAME>             cell 812.239.3359 <o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 <o:p></o:p> <u1:PLACE u2:st="on"><u1:CITY u2:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><u3:place u4:st="on"><u3:City u4:st="on">Terre Haute</st1:City></u3:place></u1:CITY></u3:City> <u1:STATE u2:st="on"><st1:State u5:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">IN</st1:State></u1:STATE></st1:State>  <u1:POSTALCODE u2:st="on"><st1:PostalCode u6:st="on"><st1:PostalCode w:st="on">47802</st1:PostalCode></u1:POSTALCODE></st1:PostalCode></st1:place></u1:PLACE><o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> <div> <div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'> <hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1> </div> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Diane Hofstetter Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2008 3:53 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Becket breaker?<o:p></o:p> </div> <o:p> </o:p> Am I slow, or what?     For 30 years now I have been carefully breaking the beckets and then extracting the tuning pins from the block using an electric drill. Today I was having problems getting the wire to break at the beckets and was getting frustrated.    Since I had just purchased a new drill, I sat down to learn about it and get my mind off those durned beckets.  I finished assembling the drill and decided to try it out on some of the pins where I thought I had succeded in breaking the wire at the beckets.   A couple of pins came out nicely and the new drill felt great in my hands (much lighter than the old one).  Then, on to the next pin and zing! snap! the becket broke while I was taking the pin out!   So I tried it on another pin--it snapped the wire at the becket as I was pulling the pin out!  So I removed all the treble wire that way, after looking closely at the stringing pattern and trying to remove pins in a pattern that generally had a pin immediately to the left of the one that I was removing, thus giving the wire something to hit against.   Have I been wasting all that time breaking beckets all these years?   Does everybody else simply break the beckets at the same time as taking the pins out?  Diane Hofstetter<o:p></o:p> </div> </body> </html>