David writes: << Lastly, I wonder, how do you (no one in particular) reconcile plate/tuning pin contact with the various efforts outlined in the recent thread "Drill bit size for #1 gauge tuning pins" >> Greetings, I have a real problem with accepting that the "original" design was for the pins to contact the plate. First, there is no way that dimension could be kept consistant in a production line. They have enough trouble getting the pins anywhere near the center of the hole, so I don't think they could align them closely enough to work. In 1980, we got a D that had the last three holes drilled so that the pin was binding against the plate, within a year, they had become too loose to hold torque. When I removed them,(under warranty), and ground a little off the plate, a 2/0 pin simply dropped into the hole! I surmised that the pin itself had "filed" the block as it was driven in against the plate, and when the metal to metal pressure finally ground itself away, there was nothing left. (I plugged it with 3/8" Falconwood plugs and redrilled. A repair that lasted 20 years.) Also, the problem of "flagpoling" depends on not only the torque in the block, but the technique of the tuner. I don't have more difficulty with the unbushed plates, in fact, the last few cents of a strings pitch I set with pin flex. From any given position of the tuning pin, a stable pitch can be had over a range of several cents, unless there is insufficient friction over the bearing points. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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