Pinblock too low

[Ken Jankura]

Once I encountered this and ended up removing the drop each drop screw,
placing the flattened top end in a vise, and with the edge of a small file,
flattening a portion of the threads, then cutting off the flattened part
still in the vise, effectively shortening the drop screw. Sounds really
horrible I know but it didn't take very long once you get up to speed,
probably about a minute or so per screw. And it worked. The situation was
the same on another piano (don't ask) and we tried the industrial-duty disc
grinder on the underside of the pinblock route. No fun at all. Can't imagine
it in someone's living room, my imagination just isn't that good.

Ken Jankura
Fayetteville PA

"Ma'am, if this piano were a car, you would never ever let a loved one drive
it."


----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike and Jane Spalding" <mjbkspal@execpc.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2002 6:50 PM
Subject: Pinblock too low


> List,
>
> Today I was asked to examine a "rebuilt" piano and figure out why it plays
so poorly.  Knabe small grand from mid-1920's.  It was obvious just sitting
at the kyboard an playing a little, that the damper timing was way uneven,
and drop was way low.  Thought the solution would be failry straightforward.
Then I pulled the action, which did not slide out easily, and saw the
pinblock hanging 1/4" below the stretcher, and the furrows ploughed
(plowed?) by the drop screws.  OK, now we know why the last guy didn't
regulate the drop.  Obviously got to make some room to raise the drop
screws.  Shanks are original, so I might gain something by bolstering
knuckles, but probably not enough.  I could go in there with a disk sander
and grind some off the bottom of the pinblock, but I'd prefer not to inflict
the noise and mess on the customer's living room.  Anyone else ever faced
this situation, and found a neat (i.e. reasonably clean and quiet) solution?
>
> thanks
>
> Mike Spalding, RPT
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>