I agree with Ed on this one. No need to replace strings. I do pretty much the same method as Ed. Except, 95% of the time, I'm able to bend the becket out slightly, just enough to feed it back out of the agraffe. (I know that weakens the becket and it will be more likely to brake with time. But I've been doing it for years and so far no problems.) Then feed through new agraffe, on to the dummy pin, recoil. and back on to old pin. Keeps the piano sounding the same with all old, dingy strings, and note is way more stable...
Question: How does everyone like to remove the agraffes? I carefully get a hole started with a small drill bit and then drill down into the brass. If the agraffe doesn't just come out when I back out the bit, I just use an easy out and done. Occasionally, I'll find the demon agraffe that is really embedded in the plate, that requires more, but rarely..
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Matteo Crudo, RPT
DC Piano Co.
dcpianos.com
Berkeley, Ca.
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-05-2022 21:58
From: Edward Foote
Subject: replace trichord agraffe and save the strings?
Greetings,
It is my normal to keep the original strings when an agraffe is replaced. I take them off the pin, clip the becket off and then pull them straight by putting a rod in the coil and pulling it towards me. Keep the old agraffe on the strings to keep them orderly.
Thread them through the new agraffe and make a coil on a dummy pin. Install and pull up to pitch. It helps to keep even tension on the strings when pulling them up so that you don't cause the wire to "migrate" around the hitch or bridge pins, causing more instability than otherwise.
Regards,
Ed Foote RPT
Original Message:
Sent: 7/5/2022 9:37:00 PM
From: Thomas Wright
Subject: replace trichord agraffe and save the strings?
Hi Everyone,
I have someone asking me whether I can save their trichord strings during an agraffe replacement on G3 below middle C on a grand.
I can see saving one string but not all three easily. Even that one string is going to have to be either a knot situation or a way to preserve some structural integrity of that string whilst threading it through a new agraffe. I don't like old string when I do this repair because its more brittle and breakage prone after any manipulation. I'd prefer to put new string in and do the careful work of stabilizing the wire as best as possible, and then stopping by to tune up frequently to keep everyone super-happy.
As far as clipping and knotting more than one string on a unison in an area where there is not much space from tuning pins to the downbearing felt leading down to the agraffe, it would be pretty tight I'd say. I wouldn't be thrilled to do it. But I'm not generally a knotty or naughty person.
Have you ever saved all three strings during an agraffe replacement? And if so, what dark magic did you use? LoL
Thanks, I appreciate it.
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Tom Wright, RPT
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