> Dense blocks like Delignit, even if its only as a veneer, push the
> limits of consistency further than forgiving blocks like Bolduc or
> M&H.
Using a Delignit capped low density block indicates that this is not the
case. The unforgiving nature of the dense blocks is one of the reasons I
developed the hybrid block, and it has proved to be quite accommodating.
Since I started using these blocks, I quit micing pins altogether and
find torque consistency with double drilling to be quite reasonable. As
good as a factory in Queens, say, but without the tricks. I find that
most of the torque inconsistencies techs complain about are the fault of
their drilling techniques rather then the pins.
Steinway mics each of their pins before installation, right? Do any
manufacturers do this? I know Baldwin should have, with the ridiculous
block they used in their grands, but even they didn't.
Denro, blue. They also have a very nice toothy thread cut to them, that
I like a lot.
Ron N
Original Message------
<With regard to diameters. Exactly how much variation are you seeing?
up to .004-005" on outliers, .003 within range of acceptable.
< Pins being out of round? or inconsistent from pin to pin?
Always
< Jim, when you say you accept this [inconsistency] as a given, do you notice it at all in the results?
Having 20+ years of precise machine and tooling setup for water-tight cope and pattern, mortise and tenon joinery, one gets to know the limits of accuracy possible with even finely calibrated woodshop machinery. Add to this the limits of the consistency of the materials, and limits of accuracy of the materials we purchase and have no control over. In a pinblock/pin fit, depending on the density and resilience of the block, my experience has been that the requirements of precise targeting and consistency of pin torque exceed the limits of both the machinery/tooling and the materials, double drilling or not. This is why I say I accept the inconsistency as a given.
Dense blocks like Delignit, even if its only as a veneer, push the limits of consistency further than forgiving blocks like Bolduc or M&H. So I final fit the installed torque, no matter what the block, by exercising the pin, if necessary, like factories like the one in Queens are reported to do. This is a pain, but my pianos are easy to tune...I spend much effort on the ease of tuning and rendering end, because a piano that is gracious in its acceptance of a tuning will allow tuners to get the most out of the piano's sound potential. If a piano is a pain-in-the ass to tune, the tuning will always be acceptable and short lived at best, rather than stable and capable of a real fine tuning.
My procedures and machinery continue to evolve, but there is a threshold of consistency beyond which further improvements never materialize.
Actually in talking with Jude Revely, he suggested WNG's pins as he's mikeing them out with more consistency than the high end German ones...uhhh...made in China...go figure
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Jim Ialeggio
grandpianosolutions.com
Shirley, MA
978 425-9026
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