Our Services

Replacing a Pinblock in a Chickering Grand

The project described below is currently being completed on a 1918 Chickering grand piano. The original pinblock was seriously defective, especially in the treble section: most of the pins had insufficient torque to hold the strings at concert pitch. Clearly, the pinblock needed to be replaced. The owner has a strong attraction to this piano--she "grew up" with it--and she was willing to invest in having this major improvement completed. We also reconditioned the playing action and the damper action of this piano as well as conducting a complete regulation and refinishing. We were confident that the outcome would be a fine musical instrument.

1918 Chickering Grand 5'5"
Pictures of the Evaluation & Pinblock Replacement Process
taken in our shop (more pictures to follow in coming weeks)

1 – We removed the legs and placed the piano on our Grand Transporter for easy moving around our shop.

2 – After destringing and removal of the plate bolts and damper mechanisms, we lifted the plate out of the piano using our ceiling-mounted winch.

3 – Because of extensive cracking of the  laminations, resulting in insufficient tuning pin torque, restoration of this piano must include pinblock replacement.

4 – With the plate upside down on our "upright piano tilter," we unbolted the pinblock and removed it. We will use the two sections as patterns for cutting, shaping, and drilling the replacement pinblock.

5 – We cleaned the plate surface where the pinblock will be installed, to remove old epoxy that had been used to compensate for a poorly fitting pinblock.

6 – We made a milar pattern of each section of the pinblock.

7 – Using the milar pattern we sketched the shape of the pinblock to be cut out of the pinblock material, leaving at least 1/2" at the edges for fitting the new pinblock into the plate.

8 – We sketched the cuts to be made in the top edge of the new pinblock to make the "shelf" that would hold the pinblock in the plate.

9 – We cut the outside edge of the pinblock with a saber saw; we cut out the "shelf" with a router, and we used blue chalk check where the surfaces of the pinblock needed to be sanded.

10 – Shaping the pinblock for the Chickering Grand is a painstaking process because all four surfaces of the "shelf" must fit snugly into the plate, unlike most other pianos which have a single edge to be shaped.

11 – With a straight board clamped about 1/2" from the bottom edge of the plate, we could use a T-square for marking the precise position of the screw holes to be drilled.

12 – We used a bright light to locate the threaded holes in the plate to check whether they were properly drilled. In a few cases we found it necessary to enlarge holes slightly to ensure that screws would hold the pinblock tightly against the surfaces of the plate, especially at the "shelf," where the pinblock will be pulled towards the plate under exreme pressure when strings are installed.

13 – We installed a piece of front-edge moulding on the pinblock. This edge will be visible at the top of the keybed cavity after the pinblock-and-plate have been installed in the piano.

14 – We applied sealer and a coat of satin urethane to the top and bottom surfaces of the pinblock.

15 – We enlarged the diameter of the tuning pin holes in the plate by 1/16" to accommodate thicker pin bushings.

16 – We temporarily installed the pinblock onto the plate for marking the location of the tuning pin holes.

17 – Using a drill bit that fit snugly into the tuning pin holes of the plate, we marked the precise location of the centers.

18 – We removed the pinblock from the plate in order to drill the tuning pin holes on our work table. The full size of each plate hole is shown in primer paint, and the center is clearly marked.

19 – With the drill bit angled at 7 degrees, we drilled the tuning pin holes. For this operation, we have the drill press attached to an adjustable table on large casters, and we move the drill press into position for drilling each hole.

20 – The pinblock will be bolted onto the plate after the plate refinishing process has been completed. This will ensure that no lacquer seeps into the tuning pin holes, thus avoiding the possibility of "skipping" when tuning.

21 – We installed the pinblock after the plate was refinished.

22 – We placed the plate in position using our ceiling-mounted winch, and we installed the plate bolts and screws.

23 – With a pinblock jack in place in the keybed and a stringing guide attached to the stretcher, we restrung the piano.

24 – Restringing has been completed. We "chipped" the strings up to pitch and tuned it before reconditioning the action. In this way, the piano will have had several tunings before delivery.