Tightening the plate...

[Frank Weston]

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Brekne <richardb@c2i.net>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Friday, February 25, 2000 4:30 PM
Subject: Re: Tightening the plate...


>Ah come on now Frank.... grin...
>
>Frank Weston wrote:
>
>> Why would you want to tighten the plate screws?
>>
>> Frank Weston


How much should the plate screws be tightened?  How can one be sure that the
screw is really loose instead of just positioned over a set of dowels that
are a little too short as a result of dry conditions or installation error?
How can you tell if tightening the rim screws is affecting downbearing?
Tighten screws over the pinblock all you want, but before you mess with the
screws around the rim you had damn well better know what you're doing.  One
of the most highly regarded soundboard installers on the East Coast once
told me that the main reason to get dowels exactly the right length is that
if they're too short, sooner or later some over-enthusiastic tech will come
along and tighten the rim screws excessively.

My point is that it is very difficult to know just exactly how much rim
screws should be tightened, if at all.  The potential for harm is much
greater than the potential for improvement.  Just blindly tightening screws
to a set torque or because they seem a little loose is a foolish
undertaking.

Frank Weston

Frank Weston