Pinblock Removal

[William Monroe]

Hi Folks,

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..........  This is a bit lengthy, 
but interesting for some, perhaps.

A while back we were talking about removing bridge tops/pinblocks etc. that 
had were glued with hide glue.  There were suggestions that in some 
climates, the block could be separated from the stretcher with nothing more 
than a few sharp blows.  Others (I think JD supplied some great photos and 
maybe David Love?) demonstrated the removal of a bridge cap and other 
details using alcohol and water and wedging, prying, etc. until it popped 
off.

Well, I thought I'd submit my own experience.  I decided to try removing a 
S&S pinblock with alcohol and water.  In short, it worked, but I discovered 
some potential pitfalls.

I drilled out the side dowels, and then proceeded to apply water/alcohol 
along the joint, working in chisels/wedges as I went along, and striking 
with a mallet on a felt covered block to help break the joint.  As the 
separation increased, I would slip in a saw and cut the dowels between the 
stretcher and block.

In short, it worked, but it certainly didn't save me any time over cutting 
out the old block and cleaning up the stretcher afterward with a hand 
plane/scraper/etc.   I encountered two stumbling blocks.  Somewhat 
problematic: I had a devil of a time getting the ends of the block separated 
from the shelf and the area on the front corner of the stretcher with the 
last of the dowels.  That glue just didn't want to let go.  Eventually it 
came after drilling more and more and larger holes near the end of the block 
to allow me to apply more alc/water nearer the shelf.

More problematic was the discovery of an unseen crack in the stretcher about 
20" in from the bass end.  This small crack did a marvelous job of taking 
all the water/alcohol that I applied and moving it briskly along so that it 
could effectively begin to remove the veneer on the face of the stretcher, 
rather than working on the glue joint between the block and stretcher. 
%*$@!  I ended up having to had saw the last bit of the bass end out.  There 
really wasn't any way to foresee this, and fortunately this piano IS being 
refinished.  It is troubling thought to think of the problem created on an 
instrument that was not to be refinished.

I have some photos but haven't yet figured out the files posting.  I tried 
posting some files about a month ago (can't remember what for) and they 
never showed.  Must be missing something.  I also can't seem to resize them 
small enough to attach and retain enough detail to be worthwhile.  Maybe 
I'll try sending a couple at a time.  Sorry Admin.

FWIW.
William R. Monroe