Tuning Pin Length?

[Clyde Hollinger]

Wow!  Where was this email hanging out?!  As you can see, I wrote it nine days ago,
and it shows up on the list just now!  Just so you know such things do happen.

Clyde

Clyde Hollinger wrote:

> Joe,
>
> Well, to get another handle on the statistics here, how many *original*
> pinblocks have you seen that were *not* drilled all the way through?  I assume
> we're talking about grand pianos.  If 99% of the pinblocks from the
> manufacturers are drilled all the way through, then this statistic doesn't
> really tell us anything.
>
> Now to follow a related rabbit trail a little how many *vertical* piano
> pinblocks are drilled all the way through?  Or, if they are, maybe I should ask,
> is there ever open space behind a vertical pinblock, or is it screwed/glued to a
> solid panel?  I've never rebuilt a piano, so I don't get to examine the "guts"
> the way some of you do, but I've run into a situation where I tried to tap some
> tuning pins in a vertical a little deeper, and it definitely felt like they hit
> bottom when there was still room at the coil.
>
> If vertical pianos in general are *not* drilled all the way through, then
> following Joe's logic we should have a lot fewer failing pinblocks on verticals
> than on drilled-through grands.  I'm not sure that's the case.  I hope to learn
> something today.  <G>
>
> BTW, here in southeast Pennsylvania we are having a prolonged rainy spell.  Our
> rain gauge shows only an inch so far, but we're hopeful for more today.
>
> Regards,
> Clyde Hollinger
>
> Joseph Garrett wrote:
>
> > As I do not drill
> > all the way through my pinblocks, but simply "dimple" them, like we do for
> > upright hammers. This dimple is to relieve the hydrolic pressure of the Pin
> > Driving fluid.  As I firmly believe that a completely sealed pinblock will
> > last longer, this
> > is how I do it. (99% of the pinblocks I've had to replace were drilled all
> > the way through.)