<HTML>In a message dated 6/15/02 8:47:25 AM Central Daylight Time, ptuner@optonline.net (Matt Wynne) writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">> > Matt, List: > > > > I may have missed a post or two on this thread, but is there an advantage > > to turning a grand upside down?  I've used CA glue for loose t-pins from > > the topside only - and with pretty good results so far. > > > > Jerry Gravina Jerry: I like to flip grands because the CA is applied directly to the pins and immediately surrounding area.  I haven't commissioned a study but I imagine that if you apply from the top, some glue gets absorbed by the tuning pin bushing.  If I have room, it usually takes me under 5 minutes to flip a grand alone</BLOCKQUOTE>. Although I rarely get involved with something like this, there is a time and place for everything.  There is a friend of many years who has a Lyon & Healy grand that has been sitting around in unplayable condition for about 10 years.  It really needs rebuilding but there is no way he could afford that.  The soundboard and bridges are in flawless shape. Upon inspection, the pinblock looked good too with no visible delamination but many of the tuning pins were uncontrollably loose.  I decided that this was a good candidate for CA glue pinblock doping.  Last weekend we did the doping job and today I will go finish the project. I look at it from a theoretical point of view:  couldn't I surround more of the pin more effectively by first turning the piano over and doping from the backside, then from the top?  Not only did this work very well but upon doping from the backside of the pinblock, there was some seepage through to the edge of the pinblock between the bottom two laminations.  This told me that even though the block was not *visibly* delaminating, it was in fact very weak, enough so that the glue seeped through. The whole idea of using CA glue is that this substance will fuse together any structurally weak parts of the block.  The other kinds of dope which are merely intended to swell the wood cannot provide any structural strength the way CA glue does. Upon doing the first rough tuning, each pin was stuck hard and took some real muscle to move it.  But afterwards, the feel was amazingly normal and smooth (not jumpy as might be expected) with very high torque, about what you'd expect from a new pinblock. The hammers were worn enough to need replacing but the customer not having enough to pay for that, I just decided to give them a good filing.  The let off was about 1/2" but after a good knuckle bolstering job, it brought the let-off right up to where it should be with a few hammers even blocking slightly.  It lifted all the shanks off the rest rail too. Today, I'll go over the regulation but I don't expect to have to do a lot.  I'll give it two more tuning passes (a total of 4).  We had to overhaul the pedal box but aside from that, just a few basics like this will bring the old grand of fairly good design back to life for a few hundred dollars. Another younger tech who is still learning the trade is participating and the customer himself did the doping.  We had fans blowing full force with all the windows open to evacuate the fumes which were pretty intense at times.  Like the recent thread on Spinet Grommets, involving the customer of modest means and maybe another tech who is learning the trade can be a way of lowering the costs to the customer and having that person be really grateful. Everyone enjoyed the session, we broke for lunch and another couple of iced tea breaks which we'll do again today and have a very well spent day.  Tonight, undoubtedly, there will be music flowing from that house all evening long. Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin <A HREF="http://www.billbremmer.com/">Click here: -=w w w . b i l l b r e m m e r . c o m =-</A> </HTML>