Pianotech

My next hurdle as a tuner is dealing with grands on which the pitch does not change when turning the pin. Of course I can eventually get the pitch to change by banging it near to death or by loosing it a lot and then bringing it up, but it's a time consuming battle to tune and make stable. I've got the worst one ever coming up next week, a 100 year old Canadian grand.

I think this is happening because the strings are hanging up in the non-speaking length on termination points and cloth.

I have gotten suggestions including using Protek or molybdenum on the strings and PFTE on the cloth and rubbing the strings with a brass rod after turning the pin.

I welcome any explanation or suggestions for ways to handle this. It would save me time on some of my tunings and sore muscles. Thanks!

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Jonathan Saunders
Bartlett TN
(901) 499-8589
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Jonathan,

I have been using Jon Page's Counter Bearing Lube (CBL) for quite a few years now. It is the first thing I do to every first time piano I tune. The extreme stubborn ones I apply before each tuning. IMO better than Protek. 

Jonpage@comcast.net

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

I want to agree with Peter on using CBL, counterbearing lube.  I had a client with a 1920's Steinway B with an original player in it.  The tuning on it was a real chore, same symptoms as you had there.  Once I put the CBL on the string rests and agraffes, it tuned up very nicely.  I would not put anything on the bridge pins or get anywhere close to the tuning pins with any kind of lube of course, but usually the problem is at least a lot less if I lube the understring felt.  Another technique is to tune by carefully bringing up the pitch and then stopping.  Trying to tune back down to pitch with old strings sometimes doesn't work so well.  Pounding doesn't help much, and can often end up with the pitch going sharp later.  Don't ask how I know.  I believe that pounding a note down into tune traps extra tension on the far side of the bridge and other non speaking parts of the string, and later leaks back to make the note rise in pitch.  It's also common to have old strings that "pop" or "ping" when you get near the pitch, and you have a very hard time nailing the tuning.

You might have a bit of a challenge getting the CBL from Jon Page, as he usually only will accept a check.  No Venmo or other fancy payment schemes.  But once you start using it, you'll wonder why you didn't get some sooner.