[CAUT] sizing key-frame pin holes?

[Mark Cramer]

Thanks to everyone for a variety of good suggestions.

Yesterday Scott and I went to the "D" action (Kluge keyboard/ Pianotek pins)
I mentioned replacing key-pins on several years back.... equipped with a
key-spacing tool.

The pin-holes had been "swabbed" with glue-sizing (water to aliphatic 4:1),
likely because that was best I knew, and Susan Graham had mentioned this was
a reliable concentration for key-pin holes.

Speaking of "unisons," the key-pins are still tight, and rotated in nice,
snug "tick, tick, tick" increments, similar to a nicely fit tuning-pin.

I had Scott swab the Heintzman frame with wood-glue and water, as above...
not that CA wouldn't be excellent, just that the above works fine.

The real story I want to tell (if you can bear with me for 3 more minutes,
is about Scott, my 16-year-old assistant:

Yesterday, I mentioned how I really would like to have the key-spacing tool
I'd just beveled, "case-hardened." He just walked in a minute ago and hands
me the tool with that tell-tale "blue-ish" color right where it's supposed
to be!

Last week he took my floor-standing wood-cabinet, antique-ish short-wave
tube radio (found treasure for the lake) home and reconditioned it, and the
week before diagnosed, by-passed then replaced the switch on our combination
sander!

On top of that he turns out the crispest, neatest key-bushing and action
work, that I'd be more than a little insecure to compare against my own work
.... maybe yours too. ;>)

Just want to say there is "good help" out there (I include Jeremey, my other
talented assistant as well), and some remarkably skilled and willing young
individuals that are a joy to work with!

thanks for suffering my little speech, and for everyone's valued
contributions!

best regards,
Mark Cramer,
Brandon University


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Ed
Sutton
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 8:49 AM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: RE: [CAUT] sizing key-frame pin holes?


Thanks, Fred!
I like your comparison to hearing a unison go out in concert.
I get the feeling.  I'll add some CA.
Ed S


> [Original Message]
> From: Fred Sturm <fssturm@unm.edu>
> To: College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: 9/1/2004 8:55:36 PM
> Subject: RE: [CAUT] sizing key-frame pin holes?
>
> --On Wednesday, September 1, 2004 8:36 AM -0400 Ed Sutton
> <ed440@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > As long as we are worried about this, I'd like to ask: How tight does
the
> > pin really need to be?  Last night I pulled a set of keys for rebushing.
> > The pins were not very tight in the key frame; finger-tight with
> > discomfort.  They had been turned to tighten loose key bushings, and had
> > stayed turned for at least 20 years of light playing.  Set straight with
> > new bushings, there will be no twisting force on them.  Has anyone ever
> > had a problem with keypins coming loose while playing?  Ed S.
> >
> 	Yep, several times. Not usually coming out all the way (though that
> happened once), but often turning to bind the key. And that happened a
> couple times when I had replaced the pins, so it stuck with me real well
> <g>. Kind of like listening to a unison go while listening to a concert.
> Not that FR pins need to be tremendously tight, but if you have any
chance
> of being able to tuen them or pull them out with your fingers, they've
got
> to be tighter. CA, or for lack of it aliphatic (thinned or not) works
just
> fine. Aliphatic resin won't really bind to a pin very tightly either.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
>
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