Nature of tuning pins, why technicians prefer blue

[AlliedPianoCraft]

I take offence to the American car remark <Gr>

Al Guecia

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From: "John Delacour" <JD at Pianomaker.co.uk>
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2008 12:48 PM
To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Subject: Re: Nature of tuning pins, why technicians prefer blue

> At 05:41 -0400 9/7/08, Jon Page wrote:
> 
>>Another reason to use blued pins is that when they age, you can use a
>>wire wheel to them clean up. Plated pins loose their luster and I've even
>>seen the plating flake off; no means to make them presentable.
> 
> Yes, and that's the reason I always use them.  I think new 
> nickel-plated pins look cheap and flashy, like American cars.  The 
> plating is quickly done and does not hold, and in any case they look 
> even worse when they're old.
> 
> Dale says the plating is done after the turning.  I haven't any 
> nickeled pins to look at here but I am pretty sure that is not the 
> case.
> 
> As to the question of "reverse thread" or whatever, I can find no 
> pins here, whether old or new, that behave in the way people are 
> describing.  I would suggest that pins that exhibit this behaviour 
> are made on machines that need at least the cutters replacing.
> 
> JD
> 
>