The Stringer, etc, and spinet woes

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mickey Kessler" <mickeykes@charter.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2004 8:27 AM
Subject: The Stringer, etc, and spinet woes

>> . . . .
 > except for the little detail of getting the wire
> properly routed against the bridge pins.  Naturally, given my luck, the
> bridge for the notes in question is located directly opposite the
> keyboard.<<

    Isn't it always?  Either that or it's an understrung string, or the
bridge pins are right behind the wippens so you scrape your knuckles all up.
A small stringing hook helps.  The one APSCO used to sell, with the small
handle (#16252, p.11), was good, but now all you can get from Schaff is one
with a huge fat handle (OK for restringing jobs, but too big for tight
places or to carry in the tool kit).  I took one of these, removed the big
handle, and drilled and tapped a small steel rod to make a small one.  Also
filed the hook a little thinner.  Too many of their tools are "clunky",
"Polish", and require alteration to actually be usable.

>As a result, it's nearly impossible to reach by mortal
> methods.  I worked for over an hour just trying to get the string to seat
> on the bridge.  Tried every tool in my arsenal.<<

    Yes, I useta do that too, even after I'd been in the biz 15 years.  But
now I have a thin, 10" screwdriver with a V filed in the blade, plus the
small stringing hook, and these help to position the strings on the bridge.
I s'pose you could make a stringing hook from a screwdriver by filing or
grinding a small rounded notch that points toward the end of the blade into
the side of the blade tip, sorta like the butt and damper spring tool APSCO
used to have (#16117, p. 8, if you still have their last catalog).

 >I decided to
> touch up a few notes in the upper treble.  Stupid perfectionism.  On a
> slight, slight tweak to E6, --- sproinnnggg!!  Another string popped.
 > I was done for the day.  I couldn't take it anymore.<<

        I know the feeling exactly.  Has happened many times to me.
Experience helps some, but strings can still break anytime for no apparent
reason. Sometimes you have to just leave it and get to your next
appointment, and explain to the customer that it's got too much rust or went
too long without tuning or that a coil was overlapped or there was too much
friction against other pins or strings and that tuning is not rebuilding or
even reconditioning, and make another appointment.
    I usually do the pitch raise and if a string breaks, I just leave it
until I've finished the tuning and the final touch-up.  That way, if another
one goes and I decide to pull the action, I won't have to do it twice.  But
usually I can just remove the action bolt nuts, tip the action back as far
as it will go (which isn't far, but is enough to manipulate the string in
most cases), and with the 2-tube understrung string tool, or a paper clip,
and the "forked-tongue" screwdriver, stringing hook, hemostats, and small,
long-nose vise-grips, I can get the thing on there somehow.  Oh, and a
bright clamp-on work light.  Use the old string to pre-measure the new one
and where to put the hitch-pin bend.  I always cut to length first, make the
bend, and pre-wind coils, then thread it behind the pressure bar first, then
clip the paper clip and new string to a neighboring string.  With the 2-tube
tool, you can't prewind coils, but it helps in getting an understrung string
under the bass strings.  Then clamp the hitch pin loop with hemostats or
vise-grips, pull the tubing tool off, then thread up under pressure bar,
then pre-wind coils (if you have enough length.  If not, sometimes you just
have to back the pin out a turn and a half, then wind the string on the
pin.).
    It's never easy unless in the very high treble.
    --David Nereson, RPT