Hi, A simple tool can be made to aid making coils on tuning pins that have no hole drilled in them. (This includes not only harpsichords, but antique pianos as well). Simply cut a 5" section of hardwood dowel, and drill a hole in the end of it that is only slightly larger than the diameter of the tuning pin. The idea is to insert the end of the wire down into the hole and force the rounded end of the tuning pin along side the wire to clamp the two together. Make the coils so that they wrap over the spare end while you pull back (the other end of the wire being held by the hitch pin). Once most of the coils are made, simply pull the pin out of the dowel. The spare end of the wire will have to be cut ( or bent until it breaks) flush with the last coil. Now finish the last few coils and tap the pin into the pinblock, keeping good tension on the string at all times. Once in a while, the coil will loosen up before you can get enough tension for it to hold. In this case, give up and start over again. Once it slips once, it can't be trusted to hold. This tip came from John Watson at Colonial Williamsburg. Ken Eschete Northwestern University PLEASE NOTE: My e-mail address is changing to k-eschete@northwestern.edu -- Kenneth P. Eschete Northwestern University k-eschete@northwestern.edu
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