Tight pinblocks

[David Ilvedson]

That can also happen when your on the wrong tuning pin...;-/

David I.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of Doug Garman
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 6:04 PM
To: pianotech@ptg.org
Subject: Re: Tight pinblocks


I recently tuned an Young Chang U-116S upright.  The owners said they bought
it in Kansas in 1991 and that it had never been tuned other than shortly
after it was delivered.  I had to pull it up slightly to pitch, enough to
require turning the pins, but I did not actually go through a pitch raise
procedure.

The pins were the tightest I've ever had the "pleasure" of turning.  I truly
had no feel for string tension.  I could twist the pin quite a bit before it
would jump in the wood.  You can imagine my surprise when with a loud "bang"
and plenty of sparks one of the wound strings on E3 broke at the becket.

I've only been doing this business part-time for about seven years, so
there's plenty I haven't seen.  My right arm was tired when I finally
finished.

Doug Garman, Associate Member
Granbury, TX
dgarman@granbury.com

----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Ballard <yardbird@sover.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 5:40 AM
Subject: Re: Tight pinblocks


> At 11:17 PM -0400 5/29/00, Brian Trout wrote:
> >I tried to tune a piano today that had been built with what I believe is
an
> >excessively tight pinblock.  I actually did get out the torque wrench.  I
> >can only read it up to about 250 inch pounds of torque, and probably 2 -
3
> >dozen of the tuning pins were way in excess of that.  Judging from the
feel
> >of the pins, I would guestimate in excess of 300 inch pounds for the
worst.
>
> Most tuning pins I know would have twisted off at the becket somewhere
> between 257-300#.
>
> >Am I being a jerk to say that this brand new, well recognized, name brand
> >piano is defective?  Would I be wrong in recommending that the
manufacturer
> >be asked to repair this defect?
>
> Sounds like the not-so-",,,,,lite" version of one of them amber blocks.
> You'll have a hard time convincing the dealer that a pinblock can be bad
> with the opposite of loose tuning pins. You'll be lucky to get a factory
> service manager to aggree that it's a problem. It's not for people just
> trying to get the piano through inspection and shipped. It is for those of
> us who have to tune it year after year. You'll get the manufacturer's
> attention when tuning pins start snapping
>
> >Anyone care to name the highest acceptable torque?
>
> 175#. There should be a reasonable relatronship between the string
friction
> and pinblock grip. In any case the former needs to be less than the
latter.
> But a freshly strung piano will have string friction well under100#. For
> the bottom end of the pin to move at anything more than 150#, you'll be
> working with an exagerated difference bewteen how the strings and pins
> move, all the more unworkable in the tuning situation where new stretching
> wire requires getting the bottom end of the pin to move to accomplish the
> pitch raise..
>
> Bill Ballard, RPT
> New Hampshire Chapter, PTG
>
> "Come on, a priest and a rabbi?! I think I've heard this one before"
>     ...........the Punjabi/Irish barkeep in "Keeping the Faith"
>
>
>
>