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<DIV><FONT size=2> Before doing a big pitch raise, I =
always
tighten the plate screws first, especially on older pianos. Heck, even =
new ones
often need the plate screws snugged down. The ones that bug me are =
the
verticals where the bottom plate screws are not accessible because of =
the
trapwork board being right in front of them. If it's really flat =
and the
other plate screws are quite loose, I'll tell them I have to come back =
with my
piano tipper to tip it on its back, remove the bottom board, and tighten =
plate
screws. According to last month's Journal, the chances of breaking =
a plate
just from pitch raising is very slim, but I don't want to risk =
anything.
Besides, the tuning will probably be more stable if all the screws are
tight. In case you don't know, don't crank down on the nose bolt =
nuts --
maybe just make sure they're snug.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> As for lubricating, I do it only if the strings =
are
rusty or if there's evidence of strings having broken in the past. =
Don't
lube the upper plate bridge, or bearing bar of the bass strings. =
Any
liquids that run down onto the widings will make them go dead. =
Elsewhere,
I suppose Protek or other lubes are fine as long as you don't use too
much. I've sprayed WD-40 into the cap of the can, then dipped a =
toothpick
into it to apply tiny amounts, rather than spraying anything. But =
as
someone else suggested, seating the strings on both sides of the bridge =
helps to
loosen any "set" or rust bond. And filed hammers, minimum lost =
motion, and
strong blows help to get the strings vibrating so =
they'll "render"
through their various bearing points easier (I believe). And =
let the
string tension down a wee bit before yanking it up. "Yank" might =
be a bit
strong, but I've had better luck letting the string down the tiniest =
amount
possible and pulling it up to pitch all in one quick motion and with one =
blow of
the key than with repeated pounding and a slow pull up to pitch. =
</DIV>
<DIV> I do all the middle strings of the tenor and =
treble,
then right-hand strings coming down and left-hand strings going up, then =
the
bass. Everybody's got their own sequence. I've tried the =
"one big
wave" method of starting at the bottom and doing unisons as I go, all =
the way to
the top. It didn't seem any more accurate or stable than my other =
method,
and was slower. It's just a rough-in. You have to start over =
and
fine tune anyhow, and if it's coming up more than an eighth- or =
quarter-step,
it's not going to be a stable tuning for long. I just tell 'em =
it'll hold
better next time as long as it's done within a year. They can't =
expect to
let the piano go 5 years without tuning, then expect a pitch raise and =
tuning to
hold it for another 5 years!</DIV></BODY></HTML>