Michael writes: << So as the pin is driven through the bushing and into the pinblock, I can see it change direction, and I would think that either the bushing or the pinblock (or maybe both) is being damaged by this misalignment . Pin torque is right where I want it, so maybe I'm obsessing over nothing. But I would appreciate hearing from some of you who have more years of following your restringings, is this in fact a problem, and if so, how do you minimize the effect? >> I think you may be obsessing, (not that that is a bad thing, but don't let it waste time). The sideways grain orientation of the wood in the bushings allows them to crush very easily. They cannot contribute much in the way of support or force on the tuning pins. I have never found that restringings with tuning pin bushings are noticeably different from those without. If you have the holes drilled in or very near the center of the plate holes, don't worry about the bushings, I haven't seen that they don't matter that much. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC