strings o spinet

[Joe & Penny Goss]

It is nice having this list to talk to others.
Associate member
Joe Goss  <G>

----------
> From: Frank Cahill <fcahill@erols.com>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: strings o spinet
> Date: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 9:03 PM
> 
> Joe & Penny Goss wrote:
> > 
> > Hi Frank,
> > It just dawned on me where the other end of the string is located (
right
> > behind the key bed right? ) and that is why you could not get the slack
you
> > needed by taking the string loose on the bridge. Right? Samick has this
> > same problem on spinets at the bass string break. They are very hard to
> > string. My procedure is to back the pin out three turns, make a becket
with
> > my vice grips and put the string in the pin. Forming the coil is a bit
> > tricky. To form the coil I place anything that will slip between the
new
> > string ( or repair string ) and whatever is next to it like other
strings
> > or pins. This is usually my pocket screwdriver about three inches long,
but
> > on occasion even smaller things, like a piece of #24 wire are needed to
use
> > as my guide.
> > Very slowly the coil can be made turning the pin a quarter of a turn
and
> > resetting your string guide as necessary until the pin is back in to
where
> > there is not a lot of side draft to pull the string toward the pin
> > block.Try to leave the coil always a 1/4 inch away from the bin block
so
> > that you can get something behind the coil to tighten the coil as you
work.
> > If it will go in between the spaces available the Mahaffy coil setter
works
> > great both pushing and pulling the coils, but will not always fit
between
> > the pins. Hummmm that gives me an idea for a cool tool.
> > Good luck
> > Joe Goss
> > You know you are on the level if your bubble is in the middle.
> > 
> 
> Thanks Joe.  Well I would have had slack if my thinking cap were on. The
> hitch pin was quite accesible and I could have backed off the other
> tuning pin.  But I had become so frustrated that all logical though
> processes were no longer operating.  
> 
> I've never been a quick thinker! I'm the kinda guy who is always saying
> "I shoulda said this when the boss asked me that." I always seem to
> learn things the slow hard way.
> 
> But, the next time I'll be armed with ten pages of suggestions from all
> the super techs outs there.  I wish this Internet stuff was around when
> I first started learning piano technology.
> -- 
> 
> Frank Cahill
> Associate Member
> Northern Va