John: Re the tensions on the Schiedmayer. You're right, they were all over the place, zigzagging back and forth. When I recalculated the scale it came out quite different. What gives with the original idea, do you know? David Love ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Delacour" <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: January 24, 2002 1:14 AM Subject: Re: Tuning Pin Size > At 8:08 PM -0800 1/23/02, David Love wrote: > >I just finished restringing a couple of older pianos (Schiedmayer, > >Schomacker). Both pianos were originally strung with #1 tuning > >pins. This was nice since both blocks were good it allowed me to > >restring with #2's. I'm curious when/why companies got in the habit > >of doing the initial stringing with #2's. The improved tuning > >quality of a smaller pin would suggest using a #1, as I believe many > >Japanese makers do. I know some rebuilders (Dale Erwin) are also > >stringing new blocks with #1's. Is there any compelling reason not > >to use a #1 pin when installing a new block? > > I'm not familiar with American gauges and I gave up using gauge > numbers after a few months in the trade, since there seemed to be a > great vagueness about the actual diameters. Under the old system, #0 > or #00 would be the original size, I think. However I have found > most German pianos used either a 6.70 - 6.75 mm. pin or a 6.85 - 6.90 > pin. Some had a turned thread and some a filed thread. The evenness > and sharpness of the thread on the best old pins is not to be found > on any pin of modern manufacture. It was most common for makers to > use a shorter pin (54 - 55 mm) than is generally used nowadays. > > I always use a 6.75 mm. pin in a new block and on original blocks I > am very often able to do the job with a pin 6.90 to 7.00 in diameter, > provided the piano has not been over-used. The fact that the many, > if not most, of the old tuners tuned with a T-hammer, means probably > that less damage tended to be done by tuners. The man who taught me > to tune used a T-hammer on grands till the end of his life! How he > managed with Korean pianos, heaven knows. > > The French used French-made pins which were even thinner (6.60 mm) > and a few makers used a tapering pin. Older Brinsmeads had a pin > tapering from about 6.75 to 6.50, so it is possible to restring using > the very smallest cylindrical pin (6.75 mm). > > As in so many things, the influence of Steinway practice may have > raised the size of the original pin. The unbushed Steinway > string-plate requires the ise of a longer pin and, to avoid bending, > a fatter pin is required. > > At least that's about how I see it. I can see no reason for not > using the smallest pin in a bushed string-plate or an open plank, > both of which I personally prefer. > > Did you have a look at the string tensions on the Schiedmayer? Frightening! > > JD > >
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