Pinblocks - Good & Bad

[David Love]

 Anyone want to discuss the multilaminate maple blocks (7 plies or so). 
What problems have people encountered with them.  How do they differ, aside
from plies, from the Bolduc block; is it the same basic material with the
same cross grain orientation?

 David Love
 davidlovepianos@earthlink.net



> > [Original Message]
> > From: Ron Nossaman <RNossaman@cox.net>
> > To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> > Date: 2/11/2003 8:48:37 PM
> > Subject: Re: Pinblocks - Good & Bad
> >
> >
> > >Anyone interested in the perfect pinblock? I am.
> >
> > Sure, or at least pretty darn good one.
> >
> >
> > >Where price is not a concern, to the best of my knowledge, the 
> > >quarter-sawn, 5-ply, hard maple Bolduc pinblock and perhaps the 
> > >many-laminate, rotary(?)-cut, European Beach Delignite pinblock are 
> > >considered two of the best. Are there others in this class?
> >
> > That's two classes, with different characteristics, and there's the rub.
> >
> >
> > >Bolduc - strong points - excellent tuning feel. What else is good
about 
> > >the Bolduc block?
> >
> > ?
> >
> >
> > >Bolduc - weak points - lack strength in no-plate-bushings applications
- 
> > >tuning pin can work forward. Is that true? Any other weak points?
> >
> > I haven't used them, but that's the case with similar blocks I see in 
> > existing pianos.
> >
> >
> > >Delignite - strong points - strong, resists pin migration in 
> > >no-plate-bushings applications, resists tuning characteristic changes
with 
> > >humidity fluctuations.
> >
> > Yup.
> >
> >
> > >  Other good points?
> >
> > ?
> >
> >
> > >Delignite - weak points - drilling critical to get appropriate torque.
> >
> > Yup.
> >
> >
> > >Do they last as long - perhaps pins will loosen faster with such a
rigid 
> > >block?
> >
> > They seem to last as long or longer, since the pins don't migrate and 
> > deform the hole.
> >
> >
> > >Thanks for any input.
> > >
> > >Terry Farrell
> >
> > I don't personally see any compelling benefit to the Bolduc or Steinway 
> > type block. While they are a nice feeling and very forgiving block, I
think 
> > they're too soft to keep the pin from migrating with the string
tension. 
> > Delignit resists pin migration well, but is pretty unforgiving of
drilling 
> > variance. Even though my two bit approach helps a lot there, it was 
> > developed as a workaround of this problem. The cheap rotary cut blocks
are 
> > both forgiving of drilling variance, and can give a good feel, but
aren't 
> > as resistant to pin migration as Delignit. Something in between should
be 
> > pretty close to ideal. So I've decided to try to split the difference 
> > between feel, forgiveness, and firmness, with a hybrid. I made up some
test 
> > samples of blocks using a body of the cheap rotary cut block, with a
layer 
> > of Delignit laminated on top. The idea is to get the benefit of the 
> > resilience of the rotary cut down in the block, with the support and
pin 
> > migration resistance of the Delignit at the top. I tried 6mm, 9mm, and
12mm 
> > Delignit laminations, as well as a control sample of just the standard 
> > block. Driving pins into 0.25" holes that would normally be used in
just 
> > the standard block, I find that the 6mm is pretty much the same feel as
the 
> > standard block. The 9mm isn't significantly tighter, bit it is a
little, 
> > while having that much more top support. The 12mm laminated sample was 
> > considerably tighter, and there is more difference in torque from pin
to 
> > pin than in any of the other configurations. Double drilling would most 
> > likely have evened this out some, but part of what I was looking for
was 
> > idiot resistance in use, so I drilled everything in one pass. At this 
> > point, I like the 9mm lamination best, and I expect I'll use it in a
piano 
> > soon unless something I find in further testing changes my mind.
> >
> > It seems like a fair split between the best of both worlds.
> >
> > Ron N
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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