[pianotech] Broken plate

[David Nereson]

    It is an unforgettable sound.  I was pitch raising a Baldwin console 
once and every time I got thru one pass, it was still flat, but mostly in 
one area.  I decided the soundboard was just getting pushed down a little 
more in that area and decided to do another pass.  Wrong!  A rifle shot went 
off, the client from the other room exclaimed, "What was that!?, I started 
trembling, and felt like the dumbest greenhorn imaginable, knowing the plate 
had just broken.
    Despite my trembling hands and nerves, I proceeded to lower the tension. 
Upon inspection, I saw a little pile of sand on the bottom board, directly 
underneath a crack in the plate.  Somebody must've kicked or nudged the edge 
of the sand casting during the pour, and the sand fell into where it 
shouldn't have, creating a weak spot.
    One clue during the pitch raise that should have raised my eyebrow, but 
didn't, is that one key was sticking and it kept getting worse.  It was too 
late when I found out the broken strut had doglegged toward the action, 
causing the tail of the wippen to bind on the strut.
    I was extreeeeeemely fortunate that the piano was still (just barely) 
under warranty, being 9 years old, and Baldwin paid shipping one way and 
replaced the plate, restrung, etc. and sent it back.
    Live and learn.
    --David Nereson, RPT