Steinway "pinning" dilemma

[Joe And Penny Goss]

Fred I have plenty in .000     .049 through .060
Joe Goss
imatunr@srvinet.com
www.mothergoosetools.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm@unm.edu>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 10:09 AM
Subject: RE: Steinway "pinning" dilemma


> Thanks for the feedback, Don. I wonder how many keystrokes an average 18
> hour a day practice room piano gets? Hard to guess. Humidity drop of 40%
> plus might be the biggest factor. I do most of my pinning in the summer,
> when it's highest.
> I'd love to use a long piece of music wire for burnishing, but where am I
> going to get one of proper diameter? What I keep in stock goes only to
#21,
> which is .047. I could buy larger sizes, but Pianotek shows 23, 24 and 25
> as being .051, .055, and .059 (and doesn't list half sizes. I don't have
my
> Schaff catalogue handy). And anyway, I hate to buy a pound for a couple
> feet of wire. Is there another source?
> Yes, I guess those bad broaches did probably come from APSCO. I have found
> them usable with modification - don't ever let the saw teeth near the
felt,
> just made my own rough area farther down. But mostly I use my other set. I
> like the handles provided just fine, but they're much too bulky for the
> tool case. I'm glad to hear that up to .055 is available now. I guess it's
> been a quite a few years since I bothered to check.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
>
> --On Friday, October 3, 2003 7:56 AM -0700 Don Mannino
> <dmannino@kawaius.com> wrote:
>
> > Hey Fred (and list),
> >
> > I sort of figured you were putting more friction there in compensation
> > for conditions.  They should not loosen up as much as you said, though -
> > an average of .5 gram resistance drop in hammer flanges after 20,000
> > keystrokes is what I found when testing the process.  If the cloth isn't
> > very good that could make it worse, or if the broaches are too rough.
> >
> > On the next repinning job you do on parts that are not too old, try
> > using only a 2 foot long stretch of music wire to burnish only.  Just
> > sharpen an end, then drag each part over the long wire.  If you are not
> > having to change the pin size up more than .001, then this burnishing
> > can be enough to create a firm and stable center with low friction (2 -
> > 4 grams), even under heavy use.
> >
> > The rough broaches you received were not made correctly - they sound
> > like the ones APSCO was selling, which were wrong and did not follow my
> > design.  You should not continue to use them - they should be trashed.
> >
> > Schaff is making the sets with 8 broaches now, the smallest is .048 and
> > the larges .055.  These have been available for a couple of years now.
> > Be sure to run the broach onto the part all the way to the handle, so
> > that the rough area simply scuffs by the bushing as you run it on and
> > off.
> >
> > I agree, the handles don't need to be as big as Schaff makes them, but I
> > sort of like the shape of them.
> >
> > Don
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Fred Sturm [mailto:fssturm@unm.edu]
> >> Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 6:40 AM
> >> To: College and University Technicians
> >> Subject: RE: Steinway "pinning" dilemma
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi Don,
> >> I agree that for most purposes, 8 grams of friction in
> >> a shank would be
> >> excessive. I should have qualified the number:
> >> 1) Only on high use grands
> >> 2) with heavy-ish hammers
> >> 3) bass to tenor area
> >> 4) when  done during high end of humidity cycle
> >> 5) in conjunction with application of Protek
> >> 6) with a cross check of minimum three swings
> >> I have found a fairly rapid drop in friction after
> >> re-pinning, somewhat
> >> similar to drop in torque when stringing, where after two to
> >> three months
> >> (granted, of heavy use, and possibly drop in humidity),
> >> friction will drop
> >> by at least a couple grams, and number of swings will
> >> increase from three
> >> to five, from four to seven, or so. In a sense, what I am doing is
> >> "floating" frictional parameters - making it too tight to
> >> begin with so it
> >> will be right longer. And removing as little felt as possible
> >> to preserve
> >> the bushings as long as possible. I typically use 3 to 5
> >> grams for home or
> >> low use. And maybe my dry climate and low air pollution has a
> >> big effect on
> >> efficacy of these parameters.
> >> I do use a commonly available set of tools known as
> >> "Mannino broaches"
> >> (hmmm, maybe some relative of yours, Don <g>), and rough up
> >> the felt as
> >> little as possible, in conjunction with solid burnishing.
> >> BTW, I have found
> >> those broaches can vary quite a bit. I bought two sets over
> >> time, one for
> >> home, one for school, and the first set was great. The second
> >> had extreme
> >> roughness in the cuttin area - real deep spirals. Not hard to
> >> get around. I
> >> just made my own rough spots a little down the wire, and
> >> don't get into the
> >> pre-made rough. But it may be something to watch for. Also,
> >> the same second
> >> set had nasty burrs by the sharpened end, so that it would
> >> cut felt while
> >> being inserted in the bushing (easily removed with a file or
> >> sandpaper).
> >> As long as I'm on the subject, I like to replace the
> >> rather bulky handles
> >> with home made ones out of 1/8" dowel. This is plenty of
> >> handle for the
> >> purpose, and allows me to carry the set with me in a very
> >> compact kit made
> >> of a small square of firm corrugated cardboard - just press
> >> the broaches
> >> through the corrugations (don't insert in the corrugation
> >> holes, go cross
> >> wise and puncture each corugation). The square goes with my nice new
> >> pinning tool by Mike Calahan (boy is it nice to have zero
> >> wobble/side play.
> >> Definitely my favorite purchase from the Dallas convention)
> >> and pin nippers
> >> into a small pouch made of mackintosh.
> >> One more thought: I sure wish there were two more sizes
> >> in these broach
> >> kits - up to 22 1/2 centerpin (.055). And I sure wish action
> >> makers would
> >> revert to starting off with 19 centerpins, instead of 20.5 or
> >> so. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
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