[pianotech] FW: Re: [CAUT] Outsourcing bellywork

[William Truitt]

I cannot think of a bellyman who will be getting the rim for the soundboard
who would not want the plate. You would be courting disaster in many
different places if you do not provide the plate. You would find out what
didn't get put back in the right place when you tried to fit the action to
the strung plate.  There is no way he could set down bearing without the
plate - the exception being the Baldwin style vertical hitch pins where the
bridge is a standardized height and you set bearing and plate height after
getting the rim back.  

Did you index the plate to the pinblock and to the rim before teardown?

Will Truitt

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Ilvedson
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2009 1:57 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] FW: Re: [CAUT] Outsourcing bellywork

That should be "without" the plate


"How can he set the bearing with the plate?   "

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Paul T Williams" <pwilliams4 at unlnotes.unl.edu>
To: caut at ptg.org
Received: 9/24/2009 10:39:58 AM
Subject: [CAUT] Outsourcing bellywork


>Hi List,

>When shipping a piano out for new soundboard,bridges, and pinblock, is it 
>necessary for the bellyman to have the plate delivered with the body of 
>the piano?  I've never thought about this when shipping a piano out since 
>it's always had the plate.  Do they need to put the plate back in after 
>the new "equipment" has been installed for proper plate heights, pinblock 
>holes, etc. ?  This may be a really obvious answer to you and it may be 
>that I'm not thinking correctly. 

>I've pulled the plate from this 1924 Steinway L this morning to discover 
>some ugliness that may not be worth repairing by shimming or epoxying, the 
>bridge string grooves are pretty ugly and the pinblock is not the best of 
>shape, but probably treatable.  If the outsourced tech didn't need the 
>plate, I thought of trying my hand at rebronzing/spraying or what-have-you 
>myself while the rest of the case is gone.  I'm doing the action rebuild 
>too.

>Thanks in advance for your wise words.

>Paul