Becket breaker? - Technique, and Tools for pin removal

[AlliedPianoCraft]

Kendall Ross Bean wrote

Al~

Thanks for the "tip". A ground down screwdriver seems like a good tool for prying out beckets.

Question: When prying out the beckets, do you take the coil off the tuning pin as well before backing the pin out? Or do you just leave the coil on the pin? 

I leave the coil on the tuning pin. I used to pull the coils off the pins, but it was a lot of work and you would need to cut the coils before you could pull the pins. Very cramped with the tuning pins in place.

When I have tried the latter the becket for some reason often gets caught back in the eye (hole) of the tuning pin as you spin the pin out, or sometimes tangles up in the coil, and winds the string back up the opposite direction, often snapping it before you can stop the drill.  

I pull to becket out of the pin and make sure it's below the hole in the tuning pin. Works best if you turn the tuning pin out 1 full turn before you start.

I guess that's one reason I use the becket breaker, 'cuz I don't have to pull the coil off the pin, and the becket is cut, so it can't catch. But maybe you have a way to pry the becket out and pop the coil off the pin at the same time, with the same flip of the wrist?

Again, it's a lot of work and you would need to cut the coils before you could pull the pins.

I even tried a pneumatic driver for a while in my younger days (see last photo, 629a) but it was too hard to control. Tended to spin the pins too fast, and often they wouldn't back out completely as with the slower drills. Some guys just love them though, and use them all the time.

What's everyone else using?  -Just curious.

I have been using an old Sears 1/2" industrial drill. Slow speed and very powerful. It's about 30 years old and works like new

I hope this helps,


Al Guecia
Allied PianoCraft
PO Box 1549
High Point, NC 27261
(336) 454-2000
PianoTech at alliedpianocraft.com
www.alliedpianocraft.com


From: Kendall Ross Bean 
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 3:06 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org 
Subject: Becket breaker? - Technique, and Tools for pin removal
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