<!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 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk href="mailto:michael@gambles.fsnet.co.uk">Michael Gamble</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=toddpianoworks@yahoo.com href="mailto:toddpianoworks@yahoo.com">Matthew Todd</A> </DIV> <DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 25, 2005 12:34 PM</DIV> <DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: Stringing Tools</DIV></DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Matthew</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1.A pair of thin leather gloves - to = stop persiration from fingers to new polished Roslau. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2.A stringing hook is useful. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3.A coil lifter is a necessity. = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>4.A strong pair of short jawed round = nosed pliers - to help feed the string in the wrest pin - but this is only if you have = already got the pins in the plank. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>5. (home made) A round block of = hardwood with a hole drilled in it and off-set to this hole, but close to it, a round = head screw - screwed in but leaving about a quarter of an inch of bare shank. This = last tool I made from a broken leg from a University Students cafe. Heaven = knows what these students get up to. You dunk the new wrest pin in french chalk, = put it in this hole and feed the new string into it just short of coming out the = other side. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>6.Then you use the next tool - a = stringing crank (similar to the key to wind up a grandfather clock) to wind the new = string on the wrest pin, guided by the afore-mentioned screw. Lifting out the = wrest pin, keeping the tension on the new coil, you insert the pin into the hole in = the wrest pin plank. This stringing crank has another, now important, = feature. It has a hole through to the top of the new pin. Into this hole you put the = next tool: </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>7.A longish parallel steel punch. With = the crank still on the pin you hit the punch (and thus the top of the wrest pin) = with a heavy (next tool) </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>8. Stringing Hammer. Mine is = fairly hefty. Thus you start the newly strung pin in its hole and can therefore remove = the crank - its job, for this string, done. Now, with yet another tool - </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>9.The wrest-pin punch - you pound the = pin in to the required first distance. This w-p punch is a hollow punch as you will = see in your catalogue. When putting the final touch on a newly strung piano I = attach a cocktail stick to the wrest pin punch so it sticks out and guides me to = get all the pins the same distance from the plank. Next you get a pair of (new = tool here) </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>10. Strong duck-bill pliers and = flatten in the "kneb" - this is the little loop where the first coil on the pin as it = goes into the pin hole protrudes a bit and can lead to instability in the tuning = if not dealt with properly. Now the coil lifter (3)comes into its own. I'm = lucky and have a very old coil lifter. If it were flattened out it would look like = a screw driver with a half-moon cut out of the tip. You simply cannot get the = flat coil lifter in between the tuning pins for those final adjustments when all = the pins are in. So - how many tools is that? 10? Good luck! You've probably got = the hammer.......</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards from the blue skies of Sussex-on-Sea</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael G.(UK)</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=toddpianoworks@yahoo.com href="mailto:toddpianoworks@yahoo.com">Matthew Todd</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, January 24, 2005 = 6:23 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Stringing Tools</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Hello guys,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am in the process of purchasing some stringing tools, and I = would like to know the wisest venture that would save me the most money.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For example...I don't think I will purchase a wire gauge.  = They are spendy in my opinion.  In stead, I purchased a nice digital = micrometer that I can use to measure string size, and I can also use it to = measure center pins, keytops, etc.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And I also know that there are certain stringing tools that are a = must to have in order to replace strings properly, and I know there are some = tools that are not a necessity to have...they just make the job go = easier.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am just trying to find out exactly a list of the tools I need = to replace treble strings that I absolutely need to have to get the job done.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks!</DIV><BR><BR>Matthew Todd<BR>Todd Piano Works<BR>Piano Tuner/Technician<BR>Tuning - Repairing - Regulating <P>__________________________________________________<BR>Do You Yahoo!?<BR>Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection = around <BR>http://mail.yahoo.com </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>