"pin set", test blows, string segment tension balance: Reality Check?

[Dave Davis]

Here are two things you can do to add your own empirical evidence to mix.

To get an idea of pin twist, you can conduct an experiment using a small chunk of pinblock and a tuning pin. Drill a hole through the pinblock and drive in the pin. You can use some superglue to attach a little flag to the bottom of the pin such that you will be able to observe when the bottom of the pin turns, and when it doesn't (secure the test model in a vise and don't superglue the pin to the pinblock!!). If you drill so the tuning pin is pretty tight, you'll be amazed at how much your tuning hammer moves before the flag moves.

Another fun experiment is to see how small an increment you can use to turn the pin. Then see how many it takes to turn the pin 1/4 turn. When you get up to around 225 barely perceptable movements, you'll be right up there with some of the finest technicians in the business. If you're somewhere around 175, then you'll be like the majority of us. :-)

Dave Davis, RPT


----- Original Message ----
From: kurt baxter <fortefile at gmail.com>
To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 3:52:53 PM
Subject: "pin set", test blows, string segment tension balance: Reality Check?

I am looking for some clarity on the issue of settling a string/pin
in order to hold a solid unison.

When it comes to string stability, test blows, "pin set" technique,
pin twisting, pin flagpolling etc...

What do we actually KNOW about what is going on, and how do we know it?

I hear techs with various (and often conflicting) personal stories and
myths that seem to work for them, and often make intuitive sense on some
level, but how do we separate verifiable reality from what seems to be
simply "dogma" of the trade?

What actual empirical evidence do we have, and how can that be applied
to tuning hammer technique?



[kurt]
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