<!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 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV>Alan:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Make a tool.  Take two brass tubes, long enough to reach where you need it, solder them together.  Thread the string down one tube, and back up the other.  Leaving lots of extra wire (piano wire is cheap) make a bend in the one end.  Now you have the string as you need it in the piano running through this pair of tubes with LOTS of extra wire hanging out the top end.  At the site, push the twin tubes through, hitch the bend on the hitch pin, put a clamp on the hitch pin to keep the wire on there, slowly pull the twin tubes out, placing the wires around the bridge pins, then pull the twin tubes all the way off.  Now all you have left is cutting the wires to the approximately correct length and getting it under the pressure bar.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>To keep customer relations good, wait until you are in the car and at least a block away before you scream out your view of drop actions!!!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>dave<BR><FONT face=Arial size=2>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********<BR><BR>On 11/18/2002 at 10:34 PM Alan R. Barnard wrote:</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>oooooooh (rhymes with "poo"). what about the problem of keeping them from crossing? Getting them hitched or bridged wasn't the problem, it's keeping them straight up and onto the pins ....</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Alan Barnard</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Salem, MO</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE 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=gnewell@ameritech.net href="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net">Greg Newell</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, November 18, 2002 10:04 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Pulling Some Strings</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>Yeah, and a brake line from the auto parts store works well too and only costs a couple bucks!<BR>Greg Newell<BR><BR>At 10:31 PM 11/18/2002 -0500, you wrote:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><FONT face=arial size=2>    Al:</FONT><BR><FONT face=arial size=2>    Try a tool called "The Stringer" from Pianotek.  It is an extendable brass tube that the strings thread into, the tube then goes in place from the top of the piano following the space where the old strings came out of.  Hook the new strings that you have made into a "U" over the hitch pin, carefully pull the stringer off the strings, and voila!  They are in the proper place and cannot cross over each other or get out of position.  It is well worth the $40 and works great on any piano.  The lunch sounded great!</FONT><BR><FONT face=arial size=2>    Mike Kurta</FONT><BR> <DL> <DD>----- Original Message ----- <BR> <DD>From:</B> <A href="mailto:mathstar@salemnet.com">Alan R. Barnard</A> <BR> <DD>To:</B> <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> <BR> <DD>Sent:</B> Monday, November 18, 2002 9:54 PM<BR> <DD>Subject:</B> Pulling Some Strings<BR><BR> <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Any tips for replacing plain wire strings, tenor section, under the bass strings, with the appropriate bridge section also under the bass strings and directly behind the bottom rail on a drop action (sticker wires) piano? </FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>The customer was nice enough to hold flashlight, hold the wire ends and above, etc. No problem getting the lower end down and onto the pin (used the ol' safety pin trick) and, actually, getting the strings on the bridge properly was not too bad (thin screwdriver and thin needle-nosed pliers). But those danged wires want to cross each other every which way and tangle up with the stupid dampers ..... ooog. Had them on, under the pressure bar, coiled and then .... only when I started tensioning the second one did I find out they were still crossed ....</FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>I'd hate to remove & replace a drop action just for one silly string ....</FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Good part! This lady (senior citizen) gave me a bag of home made cookies on my last visit. This time, she called to her husband, who was "helping" me do some surgery on her piano, and me, to come to lunch---roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies, rolls, cole slaw, cranberry sauce, carrot cake, and ice cream. Delicious dinner, delightful people.</FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Now if their 1974 Conover would stop beating me up every time I visit ...</FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Alan Barnard</FONT><BR> <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>Life Can Be Sweet in Salem, MO (although the piano is in West Plains)</FONT><BR> <DD><BR>  <DD><FONT face=arial size=2>(Hey David Vanderhoofven: This is the job you referred to me. For the people, thanks; for the piano ... well, I'll get even somehow!!! :-)</FONT><BR></DD></DL></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size=2 Arial></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML> <PRE> _____________________________ David M. Porritt dporritt@mail.smu.edu Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 _____________________________</PRE>