glueing bridge-pins

[Mark Cramer]

Good to meet you in Dallas this summer Eric, wish I'd had more time to spend
with my esteemed CAUT colleagues.. what a great bunch!

Related to the glueing bridge-pins, but not directly answering your
question...

My first challenge here at BU was a D with terrible false beats from about
f#4 on up.

I may have related this story before, so I'll abreviate:

I chose to re-notch / re-pin based on a test note (C5) that showed marginal
improvement with a new string, and complete improvement with tight
bridge-pins.

In removing pins, I found all pins tight, until... I got to the size change
(which may again be at f#4) where they suddenly became rediculously loose.

I also noted the bridge well indented, presumeably from previous attempts to
'still' the beats.

My point(s) being:

1.) seating the strings, re-seating and re-seating again only makes things
worse.

2.) tapping the pins may not be enough, your decision to use CA glue is
probably the right one.

3.) you really don't have a choice (do you?) the piano's not ready for (or
in need of) for re-stringing yet.

Take a steady hand, good light, a fresh new bottle of thin CA (perhaps with
the teflon tubing, if you prefer) and just do it. It's too hard on the brain
to ponder these things at length, best lay this task to rest, and enjoy the
spoils of victory!

best regards,
Mark Cramer,
Brandon University



 And by the way, just as a reminder about how this thread
began, I haven't heard from anyone about gluing bridge pins on a concert
instrument...it seems like a great idea to be able to stabilize the wood
around these pins. I guess I'll just have to go up into a practice room and
find out for myself...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eric Wolfley
Head Piano Technician
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~