another cracked plate question

[Dean May]

I'm with you, Del. That plate is toast. I'm wondering how solid the wooden
frame is and if the plate bolts are all tight.

If the couple is really attached to this piano, they are going to have to
pay some big bucks to get it healthy.

As one who use to design large structural members, we used to weigh the
benefits of building up a weldment vs. going with an single casting. It
seems to me that a good fabrication shop could take the plate casting and
design a welded steel replacement for a couple thousand dollars.

Alternatively, find another one that needs rebuilt. Should be able to pick
one up for less than $2k. Scrap the piano and take the plate for your
customer. It may turn into a pretty good size project as you fit the
different plate into your customer's piano.

Dean

Dean May             cell 812.239.3359
PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272
Terre Haute IN  47802

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf
Of Delwin D Fandrich
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2004 9:39 AM
To: Pianotech
Subject: RE: another cracked plate question


Let's see, now. We have three 'old' cracks and at least one 'new' crack.
What should have happened, of course, is that when the original cracks
appeared (back "when the piano was quite new") the piano and/or the plate
should have been replaced. At this point there is little hope of either.
Nor, based on the track record so far, is there much hope that, even if this
new crack is successfully repaired, some new crack or cracks won't appear
next week or next year.

One crack can be analyzed and sometimes repaired successfully. But four?
Something is seriously wrong here. I'm guessing, now, but it sounds like a
poor iron mix or a defective pour. Probably the latter. In either case,
sometimes you simply got to know "when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em."
It may be time to fold 'em.

But, just in case, where are the cracks and can you furnish a picture or
two?

Del



> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]On
> Behalf Of Bob Hull
> Sent: March 28, 2004 8:57 PM
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: another cracked plate question
>
>
> I have read all most of the cracked plate subject
> archives and still don't have quite the info I need.
> So, any thoughts would be appreciated:
> This week I went to tune a Baldwin A (about 33 years
> old) and found it a half step low.  It had been many
> years since any previous tunings.  The customer showed
> me 3 places where the plate had cracked and been
> repaired while the piano was quite new.  So figuring
> the repairs had held all of these years I set out to
> bring it up to pitch, still carefully.  I did not
> overshoot 440 but planned to tune it up to 440, see
> where it dropped back and tune it there.  During the
> process, only raising the pitch about 20 cents at at
> time, I found another crack in another place about two
> inches from a repaired crack.  I don't think it was
> there when I started.  At that point I informed the
> customer and abandoned my tuning. I said I would get
> back with them about what to do.  They are quite
> attached to this piano.
>
> Since it has been cracked and repaired before and now
> there is another crack, do you think that repairing
> this crack would be futile because it is just a weak
> plate?
>
> Could I find another plate that could be used?  The
> previous repairs are bulky and messy looking welds
> which the customer doesn't like the appearance of.
>
> Bob Hull
>
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