<html> Hi Stephen,                   I have done a couple of verticals with this problem. On most plates you are quite safe in drilling out the plate holes to accept a plate bushing.  The plate webs carry most of the stress. Select the correct size of drill, so that the bushing is a snug fit. Hand ream the pin holes. This will cut down on any flag pole effect, and improve the tunability of the piano, depending how thick the plate is in the pinning area. Don't worry if the pin hole and bushing hole don't quite line up, when you drive the new pin in it will find it's way home. Roger At 09:23 AM 03/02/00 +1300, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite cite>Greetings List Piano: Fischer upright player (New York), 1917.  Looking at a rebuild, rewhatever.  Two questions:     1. There are no tuning pin bushings - the pins go through holes in the plate with very little clearance between the plate and the pins.  What is the usual procedure for restringing an arrangement like this?  I figure my options are to either ream the plate and install larger pins or, replace sections of pinblock behind the plate and string with the original size pins.  Has anyone out there ever reamed a plate to install bushings?  I'm curious to opinions on this one.     2. For the player techs: the action is an Otto Higel model K "metalnola".  I have done a number of player rebuilds, but not one of these.  I am aware that the die cast valve chambers can suffer from warping/cracking.  From the outside, the metal looks to be in amazing [good] condition.  Generally, what is the restorability of these actions? Thanks in advance Stephen Powell RPT Auckland, New Zealand </blockquote> <div>Roger Jolly</div> <div>Saskatoon, Canada.</div> <div>306-665-0213</div> Fax 652-0505 </html>