separated pin block

[John Ross]

Hi Les,
Wim, forgot an important thing. Make sure you have some clamps in
place to take the tension, and close the gap, when you remove the
screws or bolts.
I prefer 3/8" carriage bolts, with the head at the back. It imbeds
itself in the wood and won't turn. You can use acorn nuts, and washers
to make a really neat job, if you trim the bolts properly.
The fact that it separated at all, necessitates the bolts being put
in, whether or not it may go no further. It went that far and it
shouldn't have. So I disagree with Wim on that point.
Good luck.
Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.
jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: <Wimblees@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 4:14 PM
Subject: Re: separated pin block


| In a message dated Fri, 6 Sep 2002 12:55:22 PM Eastern Standard
Time, lesbart1@juno.com writes:
|
| > I have a customer with an Everett console, the pin block on which
is
| > separating from the back posts and frame.  Not much more than 3/16
of an
| > inch at the bass end, none at the treble end. Does one simply
remove the
| > top row of plate screws, drill all the way through, and put stove
bolts
| > through, or does one also use part of the screws lower down?
| >
| > What diameter of bolts?
| >
| > Does one have to lower tension on strings before pulling them up?
| >
| > Does one put glue down in the crack?
| >
| > The piano seems awfully dry. A heater bar with a small brown box
was
| > installed, but I have a hunch the little brown box didn't
| > turn the bar
| > off, and it's been drying away for some years.
| > thanks
| > les bartlett
|
|
| Les
|
| I have seen cracks like this on pianos that are just there. They do
not get any wider or longer. So a separation is not necessarily a very
bad thing.
|
| However, to be on the safe side, you don't want to let the crack get
any bigger. To keep it from spreading, remove the top row of plate
screws in the offending area, drill a 1/4 hole all the way through to
the back, and install 1/4 stove bolts. If you don't want the bolts to
protrude out of the back of the piano, you can counter sink the hole
back there, and cut off the bolts, once you have tightened them down.
|
| I personally don't think you need to let down the tension, nor close
up the gap and put glue in there. You can do both, but in my opinion,
it's a lot of extra work, for no additional improvement to the
problem. In other words, closing up the gap and putting glue in the
crack, is not going to make the piano play or sound any different, and
it won't prevent the crack form spreading.
|
| Wim
|
|