“foot wrap” technique

The basic premise for writing this work were massive and very negative reviews of almost all the masters for the restoration and tuning the piano, made during the discussion of the proposed method to the Forum "Classic". Some of these reviews were relatively constructive and justified theoretically, many of my colleagues did not accept the proposed method, in principle, not bothering some explanations on this issue, some masters took my attempts to revive the non-repairable "instruments, as an attempt to undermine his own authority, in pushing the debate in the first place is not a theoretical justification, no experience in this direction and ambitions of a past master of his craft, which gave the debate a few non-structural in nature, transforming it into the plane of personal relationships.

I consider it necessary also to note that in discussing this issue, I greatly improve my knowledge in this area. For example, I did not know what hole splitting in a pin block reamed for not chopping axes, and at an angle of about 8 degrees up from her that initially, until the seat is not worn out, due to the expansion of forces acting on the pin, there is some (admittedly minor ) force, which "drown" it and improves its functional qualities. According to numerous comments and links I've learned a lot of material for the manufacture and operation of the piano, which made it possible to abandon some of their beliefs and reasoning, which I took as an axiom is not fully owning the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills, for which he is grateful for their opponents.

In short, since all materials are described in some detail at the forum will explain the issue. When the softening mounting place where the friction forces is not enough to provide the necessary tension of the string, according to classical technology seeks to restore a pin block if the same and it does not provide normal operation chopping, then replacing mounting place on a larger diameter of pin, or a conclusion about the impossibility of restoring tool. No disputing the effectiveness of this method, according to the literature, it is used by all professional Adjusters as the primary and, therefore, his denial of all classified as unprofessional and dilettantism, I allowed myself (certainly not from the "good life", and only because of the poor state of aging and mass-service fleet of tools in the area), try to find an alternative solution.

Having carefully considered the design of pins of different producers, I said that the working part mounting place, which provides reliable fixing in his seat, is nothing but a cobweb thread, not just annular notch. Thus, the peg can be, with some approximation, of course, be regarded as a classic bolt. And that can happen with a threaded connection, if the bolt is not screwed into the nut, which has much lower strength of the material, but just to hammer it. The answer is obvious, all probably encountered instances in which the hinge unit cover fixing the piano, not fastened with screws, as it should, and vocational students were killed the then tool factories, such as nails, which is much faster and practically at the beginning is not visually noticeable.

Above my theoretical justification, of course not certain. Judging by the available technical literature, numerous references to which I have been graciously submitted by visitors forum and certainly by professionals, this is not quite as easy as I expected. For example, the well-known publication a pin block in a series of "master library of consumer services", published in the middle of last century, categorically states that if a mechanized Mounting friction torque can be greatly reduced if the splitting set rotation, so this method should be excluded from production practice, especially from the practice of repair. No way diminishing the importance of this fundamental hitherto edition, it is theoretically difficult to agree with this conclusion, as screwing and fitting score, you see, not one and the same turns of thread, albeit a minor adjustment, with mounting (or finishing) increase diameter of the seat made of less durable material and removed material a pin block entering into engagement with the turns carving, cut precisely to increase the area of contact material a pin block with pins and, consequently, increasing the force of friction. Nevertheless, not having the necessary laboratory facilities, allowing to produce the necessary studies and experiments, nothing can assert unequivocally. One can suppose that slicing numerous turns into a wooden base a pin block, his stuff a few undergrind with each of the numerous revolutions (over 100 on one pin) and the coefficient of friction of this decrease, respectively, and decreases the moment of resistance reversing chopping of the current strength of the string tension, but it I repeat, purely theoretical assumption, and I doubt that the authors of the above-mentioned publications have made their conclusions based on some kind of massive research and not purely theoretical. Well, that at the time of mass use of his method of disaster recovery chopping "restorable" tools, I did not know about the above publication, otherwise, obviously, would have thought, and many pianos in the area would have either a landfill or contain "better times" by the principle of "suitcase without a handle, inconvenient to carry and throw a pity.

Perhaps, if continued, "old and good times" when in each apartment stood a piano, all of which sought to acquire a new, intensely worked all the factories for the production of a piano, the classical and massively used method of finishing in a pin block mounting place was acquitted. Two or three normal the tuning, then go talk about the repairs, then Non-Repair piano at all, or that it is much cheaper to purchase a new instrument. Because of the mass execution of works, a large employment and, most importantly, a great demand for tuners, of course, such a simplistic, often quite effective and, most importantly, a productive process of hammering pegs hammered (with various devices, tips and tricks, etc.) are not could be questioned and no one ever thought otherwise.

I suppose that in some regions of the former elite of the country in a state park tools radical changes did not happen. Professional musicians and had not "favored" domestic pianos and grand pianos, as well as former and modern "know", preferring foreign. Do not exclude that in Moscow, Leningrad, where the standard of living, even ordinary people on the orders above the province to reconsider the classical technique to ensure the reliability of landing and chopping is not necessary. But we have a very different situation to work with tools that, naturally, were made in Soviet times, the quality of their manufacture is well known, have undergone several movements in the residence of the "new owners", and the corresponding number of possible adjustments and repairs, to restore the classical ways efficiency of such a tool is practically impossible. Even a cursory glance at the Status of chopping, not touching the keys, you can determine which string is not built, as all the previously "finished off" splitting, by the forces of tension of the strings, mournfully, "I bow my head," as if "words" that that now is the expansion of the forces of boring at a certain angle seat for chopping, works in the opposite direction, ie, this force is no longer recessed pin on the contrary, it "pulls". Often they are from those not in the least afraid of the word "barbaric" practices, change its geometry and geometry of the location relative to the other, with them you can not work the usual standard key, he simply "does not climb on the deformed a pin, there is no provision for the coils of the string when you configure etc. negative circumstances.

Given the above, and sometimes being in a desperate situation, I began to experiment and, at first just changed the pin to pin with large diameter, when the seat has already been irrecoverably smashed the previous restoration and tuning work professionals are not very scrupulous, and began to try to fill the gap between the pins is not valid and hole a pin block different materials, and led me to this study of some methods and ways of restoring the threaded connections used in general engineering, and especially in aviation.

The fact that aviation, in order to facilitate structural weight, often using different aluminum alloys. Corps aircraft engines are made of alloys, AL-3 AL-5, etc. And aggregates equipment engine is naturally attached to them on steel studs. By vibrations in the process of long-term operation, such a compound housing several pins with softening in the housing formed looseness and looseness of wood the compound loses its required strength. In order to eliminate such defects is widely used method of thickened heels that is, there are repairs pins with the same pitch but slightly larger diameter, and technology repairs engine designer specifies the maximum allowed (providing sufficient strength) diameter studs repair. But this method is widely known, for repairs restore functionality mounting place of piano also applies, nothing new here I am not "opened", and another thing that quite often, a seat is broken so that no repair pin increased diameter does not provide a normal connection, and specifically made, disparate diameter pin is already having an impact on neighboring compounds, softening them already.

Interested me more, in some exceptional cases, for example, for one flight, ferrying aircraft to the base, the aviation technology uses a somewhat unusual way, namely "the way foot-cloth, hence the terminology that I use. The thread of the stud of the softening compound rewind lead thread, or, in some cases even lead foil. Connection with the hardened, which allows us to provide sufficient bond strength to the established TBO aeronautical engineering.

In my search I have tried many different materials, including single-component and multi-component adhesives with different fillings. The most effective and durable (oddly enough) was a regular corrugated cardboard, which provides the necessary quality, and restoration takes place fairly quickly, with virtually no material costs and without the risk of "disorder" of adjacent pins, which inevitably arises in the classic "finishing" chopping. Depending on the compound, this material allows for multiple settings for a long time operation of the instrument. Currently under my control are dozens of tools, it is recovered by this method and with another setup issue with the restored mounting place of piano should never be, but because of the general and the poor state of the tool has only rewind more and more "foot wrap " is on the other splitting.Technology disaster recovery mounting place of piano is quite simple, I have repeatedly cited it in a variety of reports and articles, for the sake of completeness of the material will allow myself to describe it in this article. 1. Care should be taken to release “wrong sounding” pin to weak rings of the string. 2. With the help of a thin but strong enough screwdriver (awl or specially made devices) to remove the end of the string of chopping. 3. Without removing the string completely unscrew the pin. 4. Embed seat a pin block strip of corrugated cardboard thickness of about 3 mm. and the size of 20x50 mm. 5. Fix the strip to the end seat. 6. Insert pin into the housing and screwing him, doing the necessary and sufficient effort, trying to screw him strictly on the axis, the procedure should be divided into 2-3 stages, as the peg for screwing enough very hot. 7. Screw the pin to the original ("native") to its position in a pin block. Gently and carefully, not making more effort to pass end of the string through the hole chopping, if necessary, however gently, to avoid possible breakage of the end of the string, doge its end to its original position in the hole splitting. Fixing and bringing the pin to the desired pitch, you need to push the rings of the string, so they do not "crawl" and do not overlap each other, and arranged carefully and closely. 8. If you do not build twin peg, it is necessary to equalize the tension during the height of about two chopping sound of one string.

View the entire technology disaster recovery grove can be seen on the video footage me at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGk3dS6dKow&feature=channel

From the material it is evident that in a short period of time and very simple to restore the connection, which previously could not provide the necessary tension of the string.

Of course, in terms of normal wizard, it looks primitive, if not just wild, but under current conditions the province simply and effectively solves the problem of life extension is almost Non-Repair tools and contributes to some extend the time period before the inevitable and massive shift in the average consumer electronics.

Translated by Murat Seitaliev

Emmery

 Loc: Niagara Region, On. Canada                                                                                          

Attempting to read this made me reach for an antacid tablet halfway through the first paragraph. Its most likely that the O.P. used an online translator like Babel Fish to translate a cyrillic based language. Technical writings do not fare well with these translators unfortunately.

The video is more self explanatory of a method (than the posting) I seen used in some former soviet east bloc countries several decades ago. Carboard and paper have high coefficients of friction. Working in tool and die, we often sandwiched paper between thin shims of steel and a magnatized table for surface grinding. It kept the shims in place even though the magnetism would not normally have been strong enough to do so with just steel on steel contact.

I had a lot of respect for the techs in these countries that were working with whatever they could get their hands on in those difficult times. They were somewhat like MacGyver in their methods. I have found pins I removed from pianos with carboard/paper shims are often more rusted than their non shimmed neighbors. My feelings are that paper and carboard are more hygroscopic than wood itself and can make a bad situation worse, eventually. I know a tech here that uses wood shims effectively. I prefer going up a pin size, or two (if the holes cleaned up with a reamer). CA would be my second option. I've rarely had to shim with these two previously mentioned options at my disposal.

I must also add I hate coming across a pin that was wound out with the coil still on it and the tip of the becket scratches and gouges the bluing or plating on it. A vertical scratch on the pins side from yanking the coil off while the tip of the beckets in contact with the pin is no better. Some techs care and some do not.

_________________________
Piano Technician
George Brown College /85
Niagara Region

daniokeeper
500 Post Club Member

 Hello Maximillyan!

                    Thank you for the videos.

                    As for Step 4, I am familiar with making the repair in a similar way, but using             sandpaper rather than cardboard. But since using cardboard works for you, I will remember that.

-Joe

_________________________
Joe Gumbosky
Piano Tuning & Repair

Maximillyan
Junior Member

                            In rare events it is necessary to use the sandpaper. This it is necessary when factor of friction quite is absent. However my method in the other. The Paperboard decays when I rotates and its dust provide friction between pin and wood.

Loren D
1000 Post Club Member

                       Translation: shim the loose tuning pin with cardboard.

_________________________
Loren DiGiorgi, piano technician, pianist, performer & composer
MPT (Master Piano Technicians of America)
Certified Dampp-Chaser™ installer
http://www.digiorgipiano.com
http://www.lorendigiorgi.com

Maximillyan
Junior Member

                                     Thank you Loren D,for literate translation on english its technique.С уважением,Maximillyan.

Bill Bremmer RPT
 2000 Post Club Member

recall Fred Drasche from Steinway recommending a piece of walnut veneer. In the 1980's, I would perform an operation similar to that seen in the video but would use a small amount of 5 minute epoxy. The theory was that the pin block material was probably deteriorated. If a larger pin or any kind of shimming material were used, the repair may have been effective in the short term but either of these would cause the pin block material to further crack or split.

The epoxy, however would be forced into the deteriorated pin block material upon driving the pin with a hammer and punch. This would effectively repair the pin block. The tuning pin could be driven in very easily. The epoxy acted as a lubricant. After replacing the tuning pin coil and putting tension on the string, I could feel the friction develop.

This kind of repair was always effective but the feel was never normal. The tuning pin would hold, yes, but it always had a jumpy or squeaky feel.

When Cyanoacrylate Glue (CA glue) products became available, I would simply use the medium or thick grade. I would put the spout of the glue bottle in the hole and apply perhaps one milliliter of the product. I would try to be sure that the glue coated the entire hole, not just one side of it. I would also put a small amount of the glue on the tuning pin.

When driving the pin with CA glue, it also would go in easily but I would feel the friction increase as the glue began to cure. This kind of repair has also always been effective and successful. The difference, however has been that the feel is completely normal afterwards; like that of new material.

Maximillyan, I do not know if CA glue would be available in your country or if it is, it may be very expensive. If it is available and affordable, I suggest that you try it when attempting such a repair.

I am familiar with the use of translator programs. One must have at least some knowledge of both languages in order to use them. For example, the word, "pitch" can have three unrelated meanings in English: tone frequency, to throw a baseball or a kind of tar. The translator program cannot distinguish which meaning is intended.

I saw the Piano Technicians Guild Written Exam translated into Spanish by use of such a translator program. The results were often ridiculous and even comical.

For example, one question was, "How much over pull should be used to raise the pitch of a structurally sound piano that is 60 cents flat?"

The erroneous translation read, "What quantity of tar should be used to flatten a structurally noisy piano that is worth only 60 cents?"

My answer to that would be, "The cost of the tar would exceed the value of the piano, therefore it is not worth doing".

_________________________
Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison WI USA
www.billbremmer.com