Drying pinblock before stringing

[Richard Brekne]

Ok... re-read and understood.... but then... doesnt this sort of make Tubbys
origional point a bit more valid ?? He's drying out a pin block... not a chunk
of wood.

RicB

Ken Jankura wrote:

> Richard,
> Please read my original post again.
> To summarize:
> Holes in wood act like wood-
> High humidity, wood gets bigger, hole gets bigger
> Low humidity, wood gets smaller, hole gets smaller
> Cross-ply laminated wood does not follow the above rule, and sometimes acts
> OPPOSITE, as in:
> Pinblocks-
> Only the wood cells right around the cut edge of the inside of a tuning pin
> hole are able to freely shrink and swell with humidity changes, as the rest
> of the wood is constrained by the cross-ply construction. But those
> shrinking or swelling cells are enough to make tuning pins-
> Looser in winter (dry)
> Tighter in summer (humid)
>
> Ken Jankura
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 9:51 AM
> Subject: Re: Drying pinblock before stringing
>
> > Not to fret Cy
> >
> > You are not the only one to be confused by this. Personally, I could swear
> that
> > pins get looser in the pinblock during the dry season.... and this
> contradicts
> > Kens information. But I will be the first to admit that I have never
> actually
> > gone and put a torque wrench on tuning pins season in and season out, year
> in
> > and year out to make sure.
> >
> > All that being said... it would seem to me that the 32 % RH  figure that
> our
> > tail banging associate waggled around a day or so ago would seem
> reasonable
> > enough one way or the other. Its on the low end of what is reasonably
> acceptable
> > variance in RH anyways. Heck.. if all piano room climates never fell below
> 30%
> > RH and never exceed 60 % ...... :) .... but things dont usually work out
> that
> > stable.
> >
> > RicB
> >
> > Cy Shuster wrote:
> >
> > > OK, I know we've all been over this, but as a newbie associate I just
> have
> > > to ask.  When we apply an alcohol/water mixture to bushings to free up
> tight
> > > action centers, doesn't that work by making the wood swell up around the
> > > pin, compressing the felt?  And then when the alcohol helps the water
> > > evaporate, the wood shrinks back?  (Or do I remember this backwards: do
> we
> > > do this to bushings to tighten up loose ones?)
> > >
> > > And wouldn't a one-foot plank of wood get longer (and bigger in each
> outside
> > > dimension) as it expands, when soaked?  Are you saying the outer edges
> would
> > > move away from each other, but the walls of the holes would also expand
> > > towards the outer edges?  What if you drilled a hole near the edge and
> sawed
> > > it off through the center of the hole?  Would the straight edge move
> outward
> > > from expansion, and the curved wall of the hole move inward?
> > >
> > > Just trying to understand this -- I know it's counterintuitive!  Thanks.
> > >
> > > --Cy Shuster--
> > > PTG Associate Member
> > > Rochester, MN
> > >
> > > > --- Ken Jankura <kenrpt@earthlink.net> wrote:
> > > > > Dear Thump,
> > > > > OK, one last time, all together now, holes in wood
> > > > > act as wood itself would
> > > > > act. Fact. Truth. Take it to the bank.
> > > > > A FINGER-SIZE HOLE IN WOOD WILL GET BIGGER WHEN WOOD
> > > > > IS PLACED IN WATER.
> > > > > One note of exception - the hole will initially get
> > > > > smaller as water enters
> > > > > the wood fibers and cells and spaces by the cut
> > > > > edges. But upon equilibrium,
> > > > > you'll wonder why you drilled the hole so big.
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
> > --
> > Richard Brekne
> > RPT, N.P.T.F.
> > UiB, Bergen, Norway
> > mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
> > http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
UiB, Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html