Tuners--Broken Pins

[Frederick G Scoles]

Broke one tuning pin;  on an upright Wurlitzer Uniplate;  that's where
the pinblock is not wood, it's actually tapered round holes in the plate
web.  One pin had siezed in placed; I used a quick impact on the tuning
hammer to loosen the pin, but it broke off.  Wurlitzer used to have
better ideas...Ha!  I guess moral of the story is to not overdo torque on
Wurlitzer Uniplates.  It tuned about like a Wegman(cast iron pinblock
with oval holes); alright once you found a good tuning technique for that
design; but don't overdo it on the siezed pins(they might require
penetrating oil overnight or pin loosening from the backside).  Wood
pinblocks seem to have their advantages. I think the Uniplates (both
uprights and grands) were built in the 1920's.

Fred Scoles, RPT