Balwin 6'3"

[Ron Nossaman]

>Which raises some questions: Are nose bolts absolutely necessary to
>maintain the integrity of the plate or are they just there to dampen the
>ringing? Does it depend on the piano? How does a nose bolt get
>stripped?????
>
>Tom

Good questions. My understanding is that they are there primarily to tie
the center of the plate to the rim via the beams, to raise the impedance of
(stiffen) the plate so it will reflect, rather than absorb string energy. I
probably wouldn't automatically assume that a plate cracked because a nose
bolt was loose, though I wouldn't entirely rule it out either. It would
seem to me that if the plate cracked because an unconstrained strut flexed
too much, it ain't safe to be within fifty feet of the piano. This might be
a good one to refer to someone in the area who has a less than "sterling"
reputation. It might prove to be an ideal matching of a problem to a
solution. Otherwise, I'd tend to think the crack is coincidental to a
casting flaw rather than cause and effect relating to a loose nose bolt. As
to how a nose bolt could get stripped, other than a split mounting block or
a drop-in installation in the first place, I don't have any idea. I don't
see how it's possible, with a properly installed bolt. 

It's another of those "perspective", rather than "answer" things, but I'll
give you what I've got... such as it is.

Ron N