Pianotech

  • 1.  Replacing hitch pins

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-08-2024 20:07

    Hello all,

    I am replacing the hitch pins in a small grand rebuild (aesthetic purposes).  I bought some new pins and knocked out an old one to test the fit of the new pin, and it is loose in the hole.  Are there larger ones available?  Or should I use something like epoxy to hold the pins tight?  Suggestions are appreciated!

    Thanks!



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    Laura Wright, RPT
    Ivory Keys Piano Service
    Durango CO
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  • 2.  RE: Replacing hitch pins

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-08-2024 20:46
    You can buy nails at the local hardware store that fit. Cut them to length and bend them at the plate. 





  • 3.  RE: Replacing hitch pins

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 12-08-2024 22:43

    I believe they only sell two sizes. The metal is fairly soft. If you slightly flatten the bottom half of the pin, making a slight oval, it will then grip enough in the hole. The contact of the pin should be front to back, not side to side. I've done this successfully on a Knabe rebuild a couple years ago where the hitch pin hole was 0.002” larger than the pin.



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    Tim Foster RPT
    New Oxford PA
    (470) 231-6074
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  • 4.  RE: Replacing hitch pins

    Posted 12-11-2024 18:59
    On factory I worked we inserted soft wire ( usually fried in the fire string wire) into oversized plate hole and drove the hitch pin in
    Alexander Brusilovsky