[pianotech] Removing Strings

[Encore Pianos]

What Ed says - the only thing that I would add is that when I am rapping
down on the top of the becket breaker, I lift up on the becket breaker with
the hand that is holding it just as the hammer is striking it.  This
prevents the becket breaker from jamming on top of the becket and becoming a
pain in the buttendski to remove.  I know that it sounds counter intuitive,
but it works.

 

I don't have problems marring the plate this way either.

 

Will Truitt

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Ed Foote
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 2:25 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Removing Strings

 

 

 

 

Shawn writes:

>>My only complaint about the becket breaker is that it is prone to drive
the coil or the string itself, within the webbing, into the plate and chip
the finish.  It can leave you with a handful if not many chips and dents in
the plate and if the plate needs to maintain its condition you might skip
the becket breaker.

Also my experience has been that becket breakers work best with some tension
in the string.  If there is not enough to hold the coil tight on the pin it
won't break the becket everytime.  Of course the more tension that is on the
string the more danger there is of flying piano wire, which is super sharp,
so be careful.

 

These becket breakers do wonderful jobs of getting the strings off, and
there are some things that make it go better.  First off, make sure that the
inside edge of the hole is sharp. This is easily done by touching the bottom
to a grinding wheel.  

Second, make sure that the tool is held at a slight angle, so that the edge
is resting on just the becket, not the entire top of the coil. 

Third,  it doesn't take a mallet slamming down to break the string, just a
very fast, sharp, rap.  I use a little ballpeen hammer and rarely does the
becket survive long enough to drive the pin into the block. I only want the
tool to move .035" or so, as that is all it takes to break the wire.  I do
lower the tension slightly but the coils need to be tight on the pin to make
for a clean break. I then use a 1/2" drill to remove the pins from amid the
coils, afterwhich the strings are easily removed. 

Regards,

 

 Ed Foote RPT

http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/index.html 

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