Nature of tuning pins, and miking sets, shop made blocks.

[Ron Nossaman]

> I'd like to give that a try on my next pinblock. Where do you get the 9 
> mm Delignit and do you use Pianotec's multi-laminate maple block ?
> 
> Al Guecia

I get both from Schaff because of the panel sizes, but 
Pianotech is fine too. I buy 1-1/2" Delignit and resaw it to 
three roughly equal thicknesses, which plane down to 9mm. 
Epoxied to 1-1/4" multilam, it makes a 1.6" block, which I can 
plane the bottom from for final thickness. I don't worry about 
balancing the panel top and bottom. It's screwed to a big 
piece of cast iron, after all, and this hasn't yet been a 
problem for me. The idea is a hard dense, high torque fit on 
top for support where it's needed, and a low density low 
torque block underneath where the stress is significantly 
lower and you want an easy to turn pin that won't snap.

West system epoxy and high density filler for the joint, 
assembled upside down on another pin plank for flatness, and 
lightly clamped. If you don't have access to the machinery to 
do this, Terry Farrell is making them for the trade. I expect 
he'd be happy to build you one.

Ron N