bent plate dilemma

[Richard Raskob]

>     Recently while relocating our piano shop, a plate to a Baldwin E (Louis
>style) was dropped by the movers causing the bassbar/crossbar to crack at
>the junction where it passes through the nosebolt.  We subsequently had the
>crack (which ran on both sides of the nosebolt hole) repaired via
>metalstitch.  However, upon re-installing the plate, it became apparent that
>the tail of the plate was bent upward such that the last 2 plate bosses are
>off the dowels by 1/2" to 3/4".  Everywhere else the plate makes good
>contact.  Obviously the bearing in the mid to low tenor is a joke.  That
>however is NOT my #1 concern as bridge recapping to the "new plate
>configuration" along with installing new dowel supports could make up for
>that shortcoming.  My real concern here is "What are the ramifications when
>re-stringing a repaired plate that already has a head-start on its way to
>imploding?"
>     Am I over-reacting?  What do you see as options given that this is a
>customer's piano and a Louis style case?  Thanks in advance for words of
>experience anyone might care to offer.
>J. Kehe, piano craftsman
>Chicago, Illinois
>


In my shop we have rebuilt 5 Baldwin grand pianos over the past two years.
Each of them had a plate that was "bent" in the same manner you have noted
in your post.  I can not say for sure but I would bet that it was not the
plate repair that cause the 1/2 to 3/4 in. bend in the plate.  I would guess
that the factory shipped the piano with the dowels cut to those heights
force the piano to have bearing.  This was the case in all of the pianos we
did.  Mount the plate where it is and cap the bridge.  In my IMHO the piano
and plate will be fine.

Richard Raskob  RPT
Minneapolis Minnesota