Plate crack- Lock-N-Stitch pins

[Robert Goodale]

I must insert that the Lock-N-Stitch pins DO work and work well assuming
that the procedure is done carefully and correctly.  It is easy to screw up
but with careful analyzing, planing, and implementation it can be done.
About six months ago I repaired a broken plate with this system and it has
held up perfectly.

In all cases remember:  Plates don't crack on their own.  Glass doesn't
break just for the sake of being glass.  Something CAUSES plate cracks, be
it improper plate installation when it was new, improperly set nose bolts,
loose plate screws, poor mating between the pin block and the plate flange,
physical shock, (i.e. dropping the piano), or whatever.  The first step in
making any plate repair is finding out what caused it to crack in the first
place.  Study the situation carefully from all angles and make the required
adjustments first.

Since the crack itself is actually a stress relief, Lock-N-Stitch suggests
that the crack be repaired in the piano with full tension applied.  In this
way the plate is repaired in the position that it "wants to be" and not
forced back into the same position that caused it to crack in the first
place.  This philosophy makes perfect sense, however extensive investigation
should still be done to determine any and all problems in regard to plate
position and applied forces.

If properly done the Lock-N-Stitch repair can be made so that it is almost
invisible.  The head must be properly countersunk, or "spot facing" as they
call it, and the depth of the hole must be exact.  Pins can also overlap in
a line or in a clump to repair cracks unusually shaped or in difficult
positions.  When the repair is completed it can be ground down and finished
smooth, painted and sealed, and few would even know it was there.

This is not to suggest that this system is foolproof, but if it is done
correctly I believe that the chances of a successful and permanent  repair
are good.  Welds aren't foolproof either by any means and come with their
own set of problems.  It is in this technician's humble opinion that the
Lock-N-Stitch system deserves serious consideration.

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Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV



Leslie W Bartlett wrote:

> I tuned a Kawai, KG-2D today for a church.  At the point of the
> bass/tenor bread the plate struts cross each other in an uneven "x"
> pattern.  At the keyboard end, this leaves a triangular floor in the
> plate, approximately six inches on a side and maybe four inches at the
> base.   A crack is developing along the top of that triangle, just below
> the "x"  of the struts,   Is this a significant problem, or is this just
> a poor weld of a relatively not-important part of the plate?