Paul, All valid reasons and assumptions on your part.<G> Any tool, improperly used, can cause catastrophic results. It seems you have encountered such a problem. I recommended screwing the pins in because of the CA glue. In cases where CA or Epoxy have been used, I've found that screwing them in tends to be a bit more predictable. YMMV Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon) Captain, Tool Police Squares R I ----- Original Message ----- From: Paul Milesi To: PTG Pianotech List Sent: 9/22/09 1:53:46 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Oversize tuning pins AFTER CA glue?? Hi Joe, Thanks very much for the suggestion to screw new pins in as opposed to driving. I’m curious: Are you recommending that because CA glue was used, or is this a technique you use for all tuning pin replacement (except, I suppose, for brand new blocks, which you drive)? I’m not sure I have a “good” answer for not liking CA glue treatment, but here goes: Every piano that I’ve tuned that’s had CA glue treatment (by somebody else) has what to me is a bad “feel” when tuning, somehow unnatural. Very subjective, I know. It always seems tricky to get the pin to stay put, not quite right. Lot’s of times the pins are jerky, or overly tight, and they never seem to loosen up to the point of “feeling right.” Yes, it’s true that the pins don’t just run wild with the coil unwinding, but still, I just don’t like to tune pianos treated with the stuff. I acknowledge that I’ve never used CA glue in a block myself (I’ve been a tech for ~5 years), and was trained not to except in extreme emergency cases by a highly respected technician. Perhaps, if I learned to apply it myself, rather than dealing with someone else’s job, the result would be more to my liking? CA just seems like a permanent, irreversible adulteration of an otherwise “natural” fitting of metal tuning pin to wood, each of which were theoretically designed for “the perfect fit” to achieve the desired goal. Also, there always seems to be a telltale mess in different areas of the piano from the use of this product, whether it’s where the bottle was set down on the plate or keybed, or where somebody left the action in and the glue dripped out the bottom of the block onto the action, including knuckles (ruining them), or sloppy application at the pin. I’ve even seen entire tuning coils coated with the stuff! That just seems unacceptable to me, to treat a piano like that. OK, Joe, let me have. As is said in church, “TEACH!” ;) Paul -- Paul Milesi Registered Piano Technician (RPT) Piano Technicians Guild (202) 667-3136 (202) 246-3136 Cell E-mail: paul at pmpiano.com Website: http://www.pmpiano.com Address: 3000 7th Street NE, Apt. 204 Washington, DC 20017-1402 From: Joseph Garrett <joegarrett at earthlink.net> Reply-To: <joegarrett at earthlink.net>, <pianotech at ptg.org> Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:07:18 -0700 To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Oversize tuning pins AFTER CA glue?? I would appreciate any advice anyone might be able to offer me regarding replacing the tuning pins in a 1961 Baldwin L with, I believe, a replacement pinblock that was subsequently treated with CA glue. Will the old CA glue cause any problems when pounding in new pins. I think one size larger would yield adequate torque. First of all, don't pound them in...screw them in using a "T" hammer. Why is it that you are not a fan of CA Glue treatment? I can understand the Pin-tight" reluctance, but CA is a whole different critter, IMHO. Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. (Oregon) Captain, Tool Police Squares R I -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20090922/bec6f154/attachment.htm>
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