<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1226" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Thanks Ron. I seem to remember we went around on = this one last time. This one is a good 1/4-inch gap, and the last tooner = supposedly pulled it up to pitch, tooned it, and squirted a bead of silicone = bathroom caulk into the top of the crack to prevent further spreading (or maybe he = squirted the silicone in the crack before pulling up to pitch - I wonder = which is the proper sequence?).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>In this case, I will lower pitch first, as with = the gap closed, the piano may go well above A440 (although I must admit I would = do that anyway just for comfort - but in this case I have reason to believe the = piano may have been at A440 after significant pinblock movement had occurred). = I will also use epoxy in the crack. Titebond requires a clean, well-mated = surface and good clamping pressure for a good bond. Whereas the mating surface in a = case like this will likely re-align, between the debris (silicone glue, drill = shavings, whatever else crud) and the original glue between the pinblock = back and back assembly, I will simply rest much more comfortably at night if = I use epoxy. The couple times I have done this repair, it seemed impossible to = get the crack completely closed - all the more reason to consider use of an = adhesive designed for gap-filling. I do understand that the repair would likely = be successful with the through bolts alone - but overkill is my middle name = - and I think that, arguably, epoxy use in this case may not really be overkill. = Also, this is a relatively new piano - I would feel more comfortable with an = adhesive other than epoxy if the piano were a 1952 Winter spinet - this is a 15 = year old otherwise very good condition Baldwin console - the piano has the = potential for decades of good service.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>And yes epoxy use does take a bit more time and = requires two appointments. So the cost is more that a one-appointment repair. I = have little doubt a Titebond repair will work. But I think for some anyway, = there is a different comfort factor. There will always be significant unknowns = regarding the integrity of a repair such as this where the assembly is not being completely disassembled, resurfaced and re-bonded.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Or, I could take the approach a dealer that = I am aware of takes on a several year old expensive vertical = piano - no clamps, no through-bolts, no Tightbond in crack, no epoxy - none = of that stuff - just rout out a little groove along the jagged crack and shim in = a shallow piece of maple, plane down to original height, touch-up finish = and waaaallllla - problem solved (oh, and stack heavy objects on lid of used = "repaired" piano while it resides in the new piano sales showroom, with the new piano price tag hanging from it, so that = nobody is tempted to open the lid)!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Anyway, just a few longwinded, mostly constructive, thoughts on the subject.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "Ron Nossaman" <</FONT><A href="mailto:RNossaman@cox.net"><FONT face=Arial size=2>RNossaman@cox.net</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial = size=2>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: "Pianotech" <</FONT><A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT face=Arial size=2>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial = size=2>></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 11:17 PM</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: Re: Pinblock Separation Questions</FONT></DIV></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT = face=Arial size=2>> <BR>> >Also, any non-bionic technician willing to = share how many hours they have <BR>> >taken to do a repair like this - start = to finish, not including pitch <BR>> >adjustments and tuning (just = clamping, drilling, bonding, bolting and cleanup)?<BR>> ><BR>> >Thanks.<BR>> <BR>> I'm old and fat, so I assume I qualify as non-bionic. I take off the lid <BR>> and put a couple of monster = clamps across the top of the back, drawing the <BR>> gap in a bit. If I can = close the gap, the clamps will hold it while I take <BR>> out plate screws, = drill through holes (3/8"), and install carriage bolts <BR>> from the back. = I use washers that will fit around the square shank at the <BR>> head of = the bolt to get a bigger footprint than the head provides. You can <BR>> sink = a 3/8 carriage bolt pretty deep into a piece of poplar otherwise. <BR>> = After the holes are drilled and I have bolts in place and have vacuumed up, = <BR>> I loosen the clamps enough to pour Titebond into the crack, helping it as = <BR>> necessary with a thin steel spatula purchased for just this sort of = thing. <BR>> Glue in, I crank the nuts (lock washer underneath) tight and = use the bolts <BR>> to pull the crack(s) together. Trim the bolts with a = hacksaw, mop up the <BR>> glue, pack up the tools, take them to truck, bring back = my tuning case, put <BR>> the lid back on, pitch adjust and tune the = piano. I haven't lowered the <BR>> pitch to bolt the back, so the thing is = often not far off, and I don't have <BR>> coils and such to mess with.<BR>> = <BR>> Takes somewhere between an hour and an hour an a half for the repair, = plus <BR>> whatever the tuning takes, and I'm done in one trip in usually = around 2.5-3 <BR>> hours total.<BR>> <BR>> No failures yet, that I = know of.<BR>> <BR>> Ron N<BR>> <BR>> _______________________________________________<BR>> pianotech list = info: </FONT><A href="https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives"><FONT = face=Arial size=2>https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives</FONT></A><BR><FON= T face=Arial size=2>> </FONT></BODY></HTML>