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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Will~</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>This is a great tip. <BR><BR>I tried it, after I got your
response, on a Yamaha C3 I was unstringing. When I did as you recommended, the
tool never got stuck on the pin. When I forgot or neglected to do it, it
did get stuck sometimes. (So there you have it, -sort of "scientific" proof that
it does work!)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>~Like Magic!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Thanks a bunch! </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=491241617-27072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>~Kendall</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Will Truitt [mailto:surfdog@metrocast.net]
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, July 07, 2008 4:01 PM<BR><B>To:</B> 'Pianotech
List'<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: Becket breaker? - Technique<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Hello
Allen and Kendall:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">I
break off my beckets too, and I have discovered a little technique to add to
what you have already described in having the breaker right on top of the wire
where it goes into the hole. It’s perhaps a bit difficult to properly
describe, but here goes: I found that if I lift the becket breaker UP Just
as I am striking it, that I get a lot fewer jams on the pin. Try it – it
works.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Will
Truitt<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<DIV
style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none">
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">From:</SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'">
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of
</B>Allen Wright<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, July 07, 2008 4:01 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
Pianotech List<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Becket breaker? -
Technique<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal>Kendall,<o:p></o:p></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>That's a very clear and eloquent disquisition on becket
breaker technique! and I concur with everything you say. Especially the bit
about not getting it just right, and ending up with the breaker jammed down onto
the pin with the string caught between! When that first happened to me (and kept
happening frequently until I figured out what was going on), as I struggled to
get the tool off the pin, I felt a bit sheepish - like either I didn't know what
I was doing or the tool was a really bad idea and I shouldn't have wasted my
money on it...<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>And yes, when you figure out the right angle, and the right
amount of force to hit with, it goes very rhythmically.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>Allen Wright<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal>On Jul 7, 2008, at 8:41 PM, Kendall Ross Bean
wrote:<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><BR><BR><o:p></o:p></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Diane~</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Hi~</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I still use a becket
breaker, for the reasons that Allen and the others have
described.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I hope I didn't
misunderstand what you wrote, but bear in mind that even though you may not have
completely severed the becket, you may have nicked it enough so that it broke
easily when you backed out the pin with the drill. I have found that beckets I
have not tried to break with the becket breaker first will often not break with
the drill. (-depends on the wire, and how brittle it
is.)</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The proper technique
with the becket breaker is something that eluded me for some time, until I
finally realized what the issue was. Until I discovered it, it was
very frustrating trying to use the tool. If you are finding it difficult to
break beckets on some pianos, the following may help you. (I noticed that
in consulting Reblitz's latest book on servicing tuning and rebuilding, he
recommends prying the beckets out after loosening the coils, and doesn't even
mention the becket breaker, perhaps because for many people it
really isn't an easy tool to learn to
use.)</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Once you get the
technique down, it really only takes 10 to 15 minutes to break all the
beckets, and I think it makes things a lot neater and more efficient.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">(Plus it's a good
workout!)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I also prefer
leaving coils on string ends where I can, because I feel it makes them
less hazardous in disposal (less apt to poke someone's eye
out.)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I was training my
daughter in how to use the becket breaker (she is apprenticing with me)
and even when I taught her what to do, it still took her a little while to
get the technique down and to understand why sometimes it worked for her and
other times it didn't. Now she can do it pretty fast (although like me,
she still fails sometimes to sever an occasional one and has to go back,
reposition the tool, and hit it again. Usually I find that (when I
have been restringing regularly) I can pretty much tell by sound and feel
whether the becket has truly been severed or not.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I have generally had
pretty good success with the becket breaker, (once I learned the
tricks), and it does keep the plates from getting scratched up and
gouged by broken string ends when spinning the pins out. (Even in the agraffe
section of grands, where you have to cut the loops off anyway to get them
through the agraffes, I still break the
beckets). </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Here are some tips on
how I do it, which may (or may not!) help you.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">I don't know what
kind of hammer you use, but I have found it has to have some weight and
momentum, ideally. I use the same 2 1/2 or 3 lb sledge I use for restringing,
but you may find a somewhat lighter hammer will work
also. </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Perhaps more
important, I make sure that when I place the becket breaker it's tilted
toward the becket, so that its cutting edge is right on the point where the
becket enters the hole in the pin. (See attached photo.) It's like the two
blades of a pair of scissors. The inside edge of the becket breaker is one
blade, and the side of the hole in the tuning pin is the other. If the edge of
the breaker tool is not right up flush against the tuning pin where the
wire enters the hole, it's like trying to cut something with a bad pair of
scissors. You want to make sure the inside edge of the breaker is right at the
intersection of the wire and the hole. (They don't give you any instructions or
tell you this when you buy the tool. As a matter of fact, someone ought to write
a book on how to use common restringing (and other)
tools.)</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The becket breaker
you usually get from the piano supply houses was designed "oversize" to
accomodate a number of different size pins. The ideal shearing tool would
fit the pin much more closely but since what we get is a "universal"
tool we have to adapt. So you have to personally make sure it's business edge
contacts the right spot, which means you have to tilt it slightly to make
sure it cuts the becket right at the point where it enters (some people would
say "exits") the hole. What happens when you don't make sure the edge of
the breaker is right at this junction is that horrible thing where it pulls part
of the becket out of the hole and bends it down instead of making a neat cut,
trapping the bent becket between the inside of the tool and the tuning pin. Then
the fun begins: trying to get the stuck tool off the pin. If you're not feeling
strong that day, this can seemingly take forever. This also tends to happen more
often on those pianos where they have put the infamous "coil lock" on the pin,
requiring special diligence.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Tilting the breaker
toward the becket requires an awareness of where the becket is,
so it's also easier to do if the previous stringer had the beckets all
lined up in the same position, or, if you kept them in alignment/aligned
them when you lowered the tension on the strings before shearing the
beckets. (You do lower the string tension first, don't you?) It sounds to
me like some technicians don't bother to lower the string tension before
either cutting the strings or breaking the beckets. (Personally I don't
think this is a good idea - In my experience the beckets are far
easier to break when the coils aren't tight, and are extremely
difficult or impossible to break if they are. I unwind the
pins a quarter turn each (in the proper sequence) when lowering
the string tension. This loosens the coils enough to make the
beckets easier to break.)</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">When using a
heavier hammer it's important to make sure you don't cause the same problem
you're trying to avoid by hitting the tool so hard it drives the coil all the
way down into the plate finish! After I got the rhythm it was fairly easy
to just raise the sledge a few inches above the tool and let it drop. (See
attached photo). Once you get a feel for the exact amount
of effort it takes to break the becket, you will be amazed at how quickly
it goes.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">-and yes, when I
first discovered I could snap the string with the drill I was tempted to
dispense with the becket breaker too, until I discovered I was spending far
longer patching up the dings and gouges that spinning/snapping string
ends left in the plate/soundboard/bridges/me. </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">One last thought:
Even though you are not exerting the same pounding force as when driving new
pins, I still think it's a good idea to support the pinblock in a
grand when breaking beckets. I feel it also makes it easier to shear
the beckets when the pinblock isn't flexing.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Hope this
helps.</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">~Kendall Ross
Bean</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">PianoFinders</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">e-mail: <A
title=mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com
href="mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com">kenbean@pianofinders.com</A></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P
class=MsoNormal> <P4082000a.jpg><P4081995a.jpg><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Allen
Wright<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">London,
UK<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><A
href="http://www.broadjam.com/akwright">http://www.broadjam.com/akwright</A></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><BR><BR><BR></SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
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