[CAUT] CA for loose pins on a "D"?

[Joseph D. Gotta, RPT]

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Cy,
         If the piano is currently and will continue to stay in the
climate that caused this situation I'd say go ahead and use the CA glue.
This is not an irreversible treatment by the way. If the pinblock is
only 10 years old it still may be redrilled and fitted with oversized
pins or replaced again. If it is the original 1917 pinblock, its toast
anyway and never stood a chance of surviving the rebuild.
         The DC system unfortunately will not provide adequate
protection for the pinblock in an extreme environment. The soundboard
and bridges certainly could have been saved and may be preserved in
their current state by consistent use and maintenance of the DC.
          
         Having said all that, if the piano is in a more environmentally
friendly home now, doing any sort of repair may be doing the college a
disservice as well as shooting yourself in the foot at the same time.
The fact of the matter is that the college students need a top of the
line instrument such as this one has the potential to be, the faculty
needs it, and the college is awash in cash to do the job if they decide
to adequate the funds. Repairs may only deny the students and faculty a
better instrument for an extended period of time. Sometimes allowing
them to suffer a poorly performing piano is the right thing to do. It
allows them to keep the incentive to do what they both need and can
afford, rebuild.
 
Joseph D. Gotta RPT
 
-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Cy
Shuster
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 10:20 PM
To: CAUT
Subject: [CAUT] CA for loose pins on a "D"?
 
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
 

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