----- Original Message ----- From: <larudee@pacbell.net> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: January 26, 2002 5:42 PM Subject: Re: Tuning Pin Size > Yamaha and Kawai supposedly do this better than > anyone except Joe Garrett, by drilling the bushing (actually a >hardwood plug) and the block together in the plate. This has always been a concern of mine when replacing plate bushings in an already drilled block. Since the holes in the block are never perfectly centered underneath the holes in the plate, it means that the pin can actually be pushed slightly away from the front side of the hole in the block if the hole sits slightly forward relative to the plate. Hopefully, I've expressed that clearly. Awhile back I was performing such an operation on an old Chickering. This was a piano in which there was a multiple piece block which could be removed with the plate. I ended up gluing the plate bushings into the plate flipping the plate over and drilling up through the block (I was going from a #2 to a #3 pin and used a drill for a #2 pin) through the plate bushing in order to be sure that the hole for the block was centered underneath the hole for the plate bushing. This worked fine. But in most pianos this isn't possible. Does anyone concern themselves with this issue? Recently, I had a similar concern with a Schomacker I restrung. In this case, I ended up glassing the block to the flange (it was a pretty good fit and a full fit block anyway) and dispensing with the plate bushings altogether. The pins were #1's and I went to a #2 (except in a few spots where they were too loose), and everything worked out fine. When it comes to plate bushings, I've always felt that the block should be drilled in the piano through the bushings. Does anyone else find this to be true? David Love
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