Cindy,
My guess, FWIW -
Wim kind of hovered around what the problem likely is. Different pinblock
composition must be dealt with accordingly. With a Yamaha, you can only
go up one size, unless you ream, than it's one size up from that of the reamer.
With Baldwin 32 lam pinblocks, two full sizes is really needed. With Steinway
hexagrip, 1 1/2 size is best for me. Also, the quality of the pins is also a
consideration. Klinke (Diamond) pins are much more uniform in diameter
and roundness than Denro, I have found. Pins from other companies, some
of which are now out of business (we know who they are) claim higher
standards but generally fall short.
Also, the handling of the pins is critical. Even a little contamination can lead
to slippage which will never go away. Our hands have salts and oils on them,
as well as residue from anything we touch. If you use sanitizer or moisturizer
on your hands, guess what....
Measure the pins and see what size they are. And extrapolate the length. It
may also be that they are close enough in diameter, but were too short for
the job.
I second what John and Wim have said. This is not your problem. But you are
in a position to help the customer resolve it, make them happy and make some
money in the deal. Have the customer contact the technician about this first,
then step in to coordinate a resolution based on what the technician wants to
do - send it back or hire you to do the work.
Good luck.
------------------------------
Dave Conte
Owner
North Richland Hills TX
817-581-7321
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 12-31-2017 17:48
From: Clarence Zeches
Subject: restringing with the original pinblock
While moving a piano from Florida to Illinois in normal weather would not cause a tuning problem, the extreem weather conditions in the mid-west and north east this last week could cause some tuning instability. I remember several years ago tuning some church pianos for christmas programs when the weather was mild. January was very cold and the heat was coming on in the sanctuaries when the thurmestat was set at 50 so heat was running a lot. About a month of this and the pianos went "wacko", very flat.
I wonder if the rebuilder mic'ed the tuning pins before he installed them. I have found .002-.003 difference from the stated diamiter of new tuning pins. If there was a .002 difference on the smaller side it might be OK in Florida, but you move that piano to Illinois in zero temperatures and the pins are going to be a little looser.
------------------------------
Clarence Zeches
Piano Service Enterprise School of Technology
Toccoa GA
706-886-4035
Original Message:
Sent: 12-30-2017 08:14
From: Lucinda Strehlow
Subject: restringing with the original pinblock
I just attempted a sale tuning for a 100 year old Baldwin (maybe, that's another discusssion) that had been restrung in another state. The technician who did the work (most of what was done looks good and it is very playable) tuned it several times before sending it off and said it was fine. I found most of the tuning pins loose-ish and about 7 of them untunable. CA glue did not help, they are bad.
I know what to do next, except that this being a warranty situation complicates it. Also another discussion.
I saw paint on the tuning pin bushings, and wondered about that. Then the customer showed me a lovely book the technician had made with before and after pictures. A great idea. However, it confirmed (of course, not 100%) my suspicion that the plate had been sprayed without protecting the tuning pin holes.
A technician that I vented to about this said he thought that would not cause the problem.
So that's my question: would it? I remember being told that if one is using the original pinclock, you must put something in the pin holes to keep the paint out.
Also: the work was done in Florida and the piano moved to Illinois, where it is currently close to 0 degrees and has been for at least a week. Would that be enough to cause a big change in torque?
Thanks.
------------------------------
Cindy Strehlow
Urbana, IL
------------------------------