Yes, the video does a good job of explaining the Baldwin plate mounting and Accu-just hitchpin system. But ... that plate is set way too low in the skeleton. Assuming the string bearing is properly set the strings are riding much too high on the hitchpins. Aside from the energy losses -- particularly in the upper tenor and treble -- there is a always the danger of breaking the casting. Yes, I know it is rare but it has happened.
I prefer that the strings be no more than five or six millimeters off of the frame surface with the strings at pitch and string bearing properly set. It may well be that the setting shown in the video is close to their original setting but the factory sometimes got pretty sloppy with this. In the case of the subject piano there could be any number of reasons why getting this right might have been difficult, if not impossible. The most common being that the bridges might not have been cut to the correct height. Baldwin's management tended to regard the easy adjustability of the strings on the vertical hitches as license to eliminate inspection procedures checking for -- and rejecting -- out-of-tolerance components. It was easier to just kind of toss the plate in there somewhere and screw it down. No problem, most anything can fixed at the hitches.
In this case of the piano in the video I'd have at least tried to set the string frame some higher in the skeleton than is shown. (If this was done it is not mentioned in the video.) The pinblock floats in these pianos and it was intended that the pinblock be shimmed to raise the frame as necessary. It's a give and take setting: the speaking side of the strings should not pull up on the bridge pins but the backscale strings should be set as low as possible on the hitches.
Also, if I heard correctly, it is said in the video that you want "five degrees" of string bearing in the treble. If memory serves, Baldwin specified 1.5 degrees in the treble with this reduced gradually to about 0.5 degrees at the end of the tenor bridge. With an old board even this is probably excessive.
ddf
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Delwin Fandrich
Olympia WA
360-515-0119
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-11-2014 11:29
From: Allan Gilreath
Subject: Baldwin Accu Just Stringing
Good morning Norman,
Here's a little device that we made in the shop since we've restrung quite a few Baldwins with Accu-just pins. It's based on an old Baldwin Factory tool and is simply a 1" or 2" c clamp with the end of the frame ground thinner (to allow more clearance between the string and the surface of the plate) and a notch cut in the end to fit around the accu-just pin. Driving the string down on the pin is pretty easy but this makes lifting the string (to decrease downbearing) easier.
Be well!
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Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-10-2014 07:08
From: David Estey
Subject: Baldwin Accu Just Stringing
This video saved my neck, and Phil does a great job explaining it. http://youtu.be/jImiLGEdz4A
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David Estey, RPT
www.EsteyPiano.com
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dave@esteypiano.com
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