Hard pin setting was( Setting them pins!) Is it worth it on junkers?

[gordon stelter]

I'm not sure that a piano with loose pins can be made
to hold tune much better one way or the other. And if
the customer is unwilling to remedy this with some
accepted method, I'm quite sure that you are not
obligated to give yourself a nervous breakdown trying
to get it to hold!!!  And, in my experience such
customers are delighted that the piano sounds better
than before, only have it tuned once a decade, and
usually lack musically sensitive ears.
     Just tell them you've done the best you can,
considering the condition of the piano, and that
unless they are willing to pay for more work you can
not guarantee that the unisons will hold. I am driving
pins less and less these days, due to CA glue and the
fact that pin driving often causes strings to rub. And
a pre-tuning is always a good idea on a CA job,
anyhow.
I generally charge $250 for a CA job (6 ounces) on an
old upright, with a pitch raise.
     Thump

--- Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> I'm not sure if I can answer your question directly,
> but perhaps indirectly. One thing I have noticed
> about my tuning lever technique - and this happens
> without much thinking - kinda like auto-pilot - is
> that if I am tuning a piano with tight tuning pins
> (moderate to high torque) I will do it much like you
> describe - go sharp and then flex it downpitch to
> desired pitch - if I am tuning a piano with low pin
> torque, I find myself often (especially in the bass
> - but all over the piano also) arriving at proper
> pitch by flexing in from below pitch. I don't know
> why I do that or how I decide it is appropriate for
> what situations, but it just "feels" right and the
> pins feels stable - a little knock this way and
> pitch goes up, a little knock that way and pitch
> goes down, the pin appears to be in a neutral state
> of torque. And then I'm sure there is a grey area
> where grey things happen that I don't know about!
> 
> Have you read the book "Different Strokes" by Ken
> Burton?
> 
> Terry Farrell
>   
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Benny L. Tucker" <precisionpiano@alltel.net>
> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 11:41 PM
> Subject: Re: Hard pin setting was( Setting them
> pins!)
> 
> 
> To clarify what I meant by hard pin setting. What
> I'm trying to describe about my technique is this.
> After getting the pin in the correct position, with
> the pitch "sharp", I like to flex the pin "not
> flagpoling", downpitch to the perfect unison.
> I have always felt that the resistance felt during
> this downpitch flex should be moderate. In other
> words, just a little more pushing down and the whole
> pin will turn, but it takes great effort to pull the
> pin back up-pitch.
>     My thinking is that I don't want the string to
> be able to pull the pin down any further, because I
> have already pounded it in with moderate flex
> downpitch.
>     I was just wondering if I might be "flexing" the
> pin downpitch too much, and therefore the pin
> "unwinds" after I leave and pulls the pitch sharp. I
> am now trying to set the pins with a lot less
> "flex", like at the beginning of resistance.
> Does this make sense? Anyhow, I appreciate all your
> advice!!
> 
> Thanks.
>     
> Benny L. Tucker
> Precision Piano Tuning & Repair
> Thomaston, Ga.
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Wimblees@aol.com 
>   To: pianotech@ptg.org 
>   Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 11:03 PM
>   Subject: Re: Setting them pins!
> 
> 
>   In a message dated 2/20/03 3:46:34 AM !!!First
> Boot!!!, precisionpiano@alltel.net writes:
> 
> 
>     So, my question this time, "How hard to you guys
> and gals set the pins"?
>     And do you feel confident with it's holding
> power?
> 
>     Thanks for your input!
> 
>     Benny L. Tucker
>     Precision Piano Tuning &Repair
> 
> 
> 
>   Benny
> 
>   Setting the pin is not something that is
> considered "hard." So I don't know exactly what you
> are saying when you say your setting the pin hard.
> The strings, yes, you should hit the key hard, so
> that the string will settle down, and be rendered
> over all the pressure points. 
> 
>   But to set the pin, your doing the right thing, by
> releasing the tension. But you might want to do one
> more thing. When the string is "there," and you've
> released the tension on the pin, just wiggle the
> tuning hammer a little. Don't put pressure on the
> pin, and don't bend it. But with your fingers, just
> lift up the handle of the hammer and wobble it up
> and down. (or back and forth on a vertical). That is
> all there is to setting the pin. 
> 
>   And as far as your tunings staying or not.
> Although setting the pin and the string will make it
> more stable, if a piano is out after several months,
> especially after the winter we've just had, it isnot
> anything you did wrong. All of our pianos went
> haywire this winter. 
> 
>   Wim 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info:
https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives


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