Bridge over troubled waters

[David Love]

Can you not just go up a size without risking splitting the cap?  Most
treble sections are pinned with #6 pins which are too small anyway.  Is
there a clean way to ream, if necessary, in order to accomodate going up
one size?  Or can you just put in larger pins?

David Love
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net


> [Original Message]
> From: Farrell <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com>
> To: Pianotech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: 6/15/2004 8:14:29 AM
> Subject: Re: Bridge over troubled waters
>
> On a several restring jobs on older pianos of lower quality (budget
> refurbish/rebuilds), I have used new copper bridge pins that were the same
> size as the originals - and of course, some went into their respective
holes
> loose. I set the pins in unthickened West System epoxy with excellent
> results - really cleaned up false beats, etc (also planed & renotched
caps).
> Note that I am not suggesting I think this is a good course of action on a
> better piano where the owner is willing to pay for premium work.
>
> On new bridges I use horizontally-laminated hard-maple caps. I drill for
new
> coppered bridge pins in the normal manner, but I swab the holes with
> unthickened West System epoxy and dip the pin in epoxy upon installation.
> Overkill? Maybe, but I don't want my bridges & bridge pins suffering the
> same fate I see in most pianos after a few decades - or maybe just years
> (cracked caps and loose pins). Does it hurt anything? I don't think so -
> except perhaps my sort-term profit margin.
>
> Terry Farrell
>
>
> > Hi Dale,
> >
> > >Although i don not do this job frequently occasionally I find it
> > >advantageous to pull bridge pins in an existing bridge,renotch &
> > >then put in new pins.
> >
> > Likewise.
> >
> > >  However as many of you may know from doing this that most recently
> > >the current copper supply of bridge pins are just slightly smaller
> > >than the most originals which obviously does not help with getting a
> > >tight fit.
> >
> > This can be a problem. We've made our own pins to the required size
> > by getting silver steel centreless ground to the oversize diameter we
> > require, then cutting the pins from the ground lengths of silver
> > steel. But its a slow and costly process. Renner supplies bridge pins
> > in several graduated diameters, but these pins do not have a very
> > high standard of finish. We've been using them to date, but I'm
> > looking for a better quality pin.
> >
> > Ron O.
> > -- 
> > OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY
> >     Grand Piano Manufacturers
> > _______________________
> >
> > Web http://overspianos.com.au
> > mailto:info@overspianos.com.au
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> >
>
>
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