Pianotech

Hi Cobrun,

It would be possible but probably not worth it. There are easier ways to get CA into the block. You can add it with a syringe or dropper from above, which I think you've already tried. You can try angling the syringe up and adding glue from below. Or you could try drilling holes with a very small drill bit through the plate bushings (if present), or into the block itself if there are no bushings, which would allow you to get glue deeper into the block. 

Good luck with it.

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

I've had the experience of removing the pin entirely, to discover to my surprise that the glue had indeed penetrated quite far down the pin.  But I have not had it drip anywhere underneath.  I have also had it not work, at least as long as I was at the piano.  It seemed the more I added, the less it seemed to hold.  I decided to try using accelerator, and that did work.  I was reluctant to try that because I thought maybe any future attempts would seal out new glue.  Not true for me.  I have also removed the pin and swabbed the hole, which worked, and I have also wet the pin with glue, used accelerator, and drove it back in.  That worked too.  Now, granted I live in San Diego, where it almost never gets really dry for a long time, so loose pins are rare here.  YMMV.

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

Thanks for your input, Rex and Paul. Good to know!

I've had the experience of removing the pin entirely, to discover to my surprise that the glue had indeed penetrated quite far down the pin.  But I have not had it drip anywhere underneath.  I have also had it not work, at least as long as I was at the piano.  It seemed the more I added, the less it seemed to hold.  I decided to try using accelerator, and that did work.  I was reluctant to try that because I thought maybe any future attempts would seal out new glue.  Not true for me.  I have also removed the pin and swabbed the hole, which worked, and I have also wet the pin with glue, used accelerator, and drove it back in.  That worked too.  Now, granted I live in San Diego, where it almost never gets really dry for a long time, so loose pins are rare here.  YMMV.

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

Original Message:
Sent: 4/26/2026 4:36:00 PM
From: Alan Eder
Subject: RE: Flipping Grand for CA Glue Treatment

Thanks for your input, Rex and Paul. Good to know!

------------------------------
Alan Eder, RPT
Herb Alpert School of Music
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
661.904.6483
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2026 15:50
From: Paul McCloud
Subject: Flipping Grand for CA Glue Treatment

I've had the experience of removing the pin entirely, to discover to my surprise that the glue had indeed penetrated quite far down the pin.  But I have not had it drip anywhere underneath.  I have also had it not work, at least as long as I was at the piano.  It seemed the more I added, the less it seemed to hold.  I decided to try using accelerator, and that did work.  I was reluctant to try that because I thought maybe any future attempts would seal out new glue.  Not true for me.  I have also removed the pin and swabbed the hole, which worked, and I have also wet the pin with glue, used accelerator, and drove it back in.  That worked too.  Now, granted I live in San Diego, where it almost never gets really dry for a long time, so loose pins are rare here.  YMMV.

------------------------------
Paul McCloud, RPT
Accutone Piano Service
www.AccutonePianoService.com
pavadasa@gmail.com


Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2026 15:30
From: Alan Eder
Subject: Flipping Grand for CA Glue Treatment

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

------------------------------
Alan Eder, RPT
Herb Alpert School of Music
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
661.904.6483


Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2026 12:10
From: James Kelly
Subject: Flipping Grand for CA Glue Treatment

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

------------------------------
James Kelly
Owner- Fur Elise Piano Service
Pawleys Island SC
(843) 325-4357

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

Meaning that the pinblock is sort of stretched out a bit on the top and there is a place for the CA glue to go? What about the bushings? 

Do you suppose applying it on the player side of the TP makes the most sense? 

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet

On the proximal/player side is indeed where I apply it, Vincent, although I typically use enough that it winds up flowing around the entire base of the tuning pin.

Meaning that the pinblock is sort of stretched out a bit on the top and there is a place for the CA glue to go? What about the bushings? 

Do you suppose applying it on the player side of the TP makes the most sense? 

I asked this question on this forum several years ago, but it may be worth asking again:

Has anyone that has applied this CA glue to pinblocks on grand pianos from above ever had it complete the journey to the bottom of the block and drip out?

I have not. When I posted this question previously, at that time, no one responded that they had.

Also, I would think that the longer a piano has been under tension and the more it has been tuned, the more the top of the hole it occupies would tend to be larger than the bottom.

Best,

Alan 

I have treated dozens of pin blocks on grand pianos and never flipped them over. Use the very thin CA and draw it up into an epoxy syringe you can get from West Marine which is a boater supply company. I pour the CA into a small glass baby food jar or a shot glass. When I dispense it I aim it under the coils and flood it around the pin. Always protect the keybed with a thin layer of cardboard or some thick packing paper. Disposer of any materials that get soiled. I am not sure of the flammability but I know that CA is dangerous and can give you a chemical burn . It also burns through cloth. If you put it in the wrong type of mixing cup not made for epoxy it will burn a hole and ruin the carpet