Nature of tuning pins

[Porritt, David]

Kendall:

 

The physical properties of tuning pins is well within my great store of
ignorance.  I take them out of the box and pound them in.  I have here
some "Genuine Yamaha" pins that I got a year or so ago and they are
nickel and the threads are not blued.  They look just as your center one
in the picture.  In the piano they seem to work fine.

 

dave

 

David M. Porritt, RPT

dporritt at smu.edu

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Kendall Ross Bean
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 10:46 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Nature of tuning pins

 

Hi, I haven't posted to the listserve before so let's see if this works.

 

I had some questions about the different types of tuning pins and
wondered if someone here could answer them. (I'm trying to write an
article about tuning pins).

 

It might be nice to have some discussion on something that many
technicians seem to take for granted: why tuning pins come in the types
and form that they currently do.

 

(This may have all been covered before somewhere in the Archives, but if
it was, I couldn't find it. So if it's there, I apologize in advance;
could someone just point me to where it is? Thanks.)

 

I've attached a photo for reference. 

 

The photo refers to the three basic types of tuning pins we routinely
see. (These were all photographed together at the same time on the same
white background. The photo is "unretouched." -The colors in the photo
seem to be fatihful to the genuine articles.)

 

On the far left is a blued steel pin, in the middle a nickel plated pin,
and on the far right a nickel plated/blued thread pin. (The end pins are
Nippon Denro, the middle pin I think from an Asian piano, maybe Kawai,
as it seems to be metric.)

 

The pin in the middle has generally fallen into disrepute (I think I
know why, because the threads are plated, right?) -but perhaps we need
to re-examine this. Maybe this type of pin is still valid for certain
extreme humidity applications?

 

The following questions pertain mainly to the "blued" vs "nickel-blued
pins".

 

The questions I have are:

 

1) Why are the threads on the "blued steel" pin a different color than
on the "nickel-blued" pin? (also - Why aren't the the threads on the
"blued" pin the same color as the unthreaded portion of the pin?)

 

2) If the threads on the "nickel-blued" pin are cut after nickel
plating, (which should remove the plating on the threads right?) and
then are heated in the bluing oven, why aren't they the same color blue
as the unthreaded part of the "blued" pin? 

 

3) I am speculating that perhaps the threads on the blued pin are cut
after bluing (which removes the bluing, to a certain extent, just like
it removes the layer of nickel plating on the nickel blued pin) while
the threads on the nickel blued pin are blued after cutting. Does the
order in which the operations are done affect the quality of the thread?
Does having to cut through nickel plating produce an inferior thread?

 

4) Would anyone here care to restate why the blued pins (as opposed to
nickel-blued) are preferred over the nickel-blued by many piano
technicians?

 

5) What is the real purpose of the threads on the tuning pin, (besides
to help back the pin out in restringing. One source I have read says the
threads make it easier to turn the pin in the pinblock (as opposed to an
unthreaded pin). Any thoughts on this?

 

6) Today apparently all tuning pins have "cut" threads, as opposed to
"rolled" threads. Why is this? What does "rolled" threads mean? Why
would they be inferior to cut threads?"

 

7) Catherine Beilefeldt, in her book "The Wonders of the Piano", in
describing the process at AMSCO (when it was still around), says that
there both the nickel-blued and blued pins were blued after threading.
Does anyone know if Nippon Denro does it differently? How about Fly
Brand? Diamond?

 

8) What, exactly, are the infamous "reverse cut" threads that were
touted so highly by certain sales reps and dealers of Japanese pianos?

 

9) What about Larry Fine's and Art Reblitz's contention that if this
were really the case (if the "reverse cut" or "reverse thread" pin
turned more easily in one direction than the other) it would wear the
pin block out faster?

 

10) Why, really, did manufacturers (except Bosendorfer) stop using
tapered pins? 

 

I have a number of books that touch on the manufacture of piano tuning
pins, but none that really seems to have more than a superficial
understanding of why tuning pins are made the way they are today. 

 

If anyone knows of a reference work or resource that would have the
history of the development of tuning pins, or an article in the PTJ (or
even a thread in the CAUT or Pianotech archives) that addresses these
issues, I would be very grateful if they would let me know where I can
find it. You can either post your answers on the listserve, ideally,
where all could benefit, or e-mail me personally at address below, if
you prefer.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kendall Ross Bean

PianoFinders 

 

(e-mail: kenbean at pianofinders.com <mailto:kenbean at pianofinders.com> )

 

 

 

 

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