---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment In a message dated 4/15/2005 9:21:39 PM Central Standard Time, 741662027@theshusters.org writes: I've been studying piano technology for ten years, on and off (I've passed the RPT written exam), and have been tuning professionally for a year and a half. I've applied to North Bennet St. for this fall. I was just asked to take care of an S&S D for a local community college. It's 1917 vintage (played by Rachmaninoff at one time!), and rebuilt by Steinway about ten years ago. It's suffering from humidity damage: 8" crack in the soundboard behind and under the treble bridge and elsewhere, false beats in the low tenor (loose bridge pins?), and loose tuning pins in the bass. One or two are so loose I was tempted to mute them, for fear they wouldn't survive a concert. Of the needed repairs, the only one's I'm qualified to do are to CA the loose pins, which I've done successfully three times previously. I'll happily do this on someone's no-name, 100-year-old, 4'8" neonatal grand with rusty strings, but I want to ask for advice before doing anything irreversible to an instrument of this caliber. I can do the repair without side effects, I'm sure (I pull the action and use copious amounts of plastic tarps), but still... Is the right thing to do to simply write up a report and say that it needs a new pinblock, bridge cap, and at least epoxy in the soundboard cracks? Or let Steinway re-evaluate it? Is it better to pull the loose pins and shim with sandpaper or veneer rather than risking CA? Will Steinway scoff if they get a CA'd pinblock to replace? Side note: it has a disassembled DC system... sigh... --Cy Shuster-- Bluefield, WV Cy My suggestion would be to write a report about the condition of the piano. Make it matter of fact report. In other words, do not place blame on anyone or anything. You should also state that you are making some stop gap repairs to keep the piano going. Use whatever method you're comfortable with. CA glue is a good start. Since it is an older piano, that has been partially rebuilt, at this point, I wouldn't worry about what the boys at the Steinway factory are going to think about you. You did your best just to keep the piano going. Wim Willem Blees, RPT Piano Technician School of Music University of Alabama ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/06/22/aa/b4/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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