Tom Steuer wrote:

> There is a product on the market called "Pintite" that restorers
> sometimes drop into the pinblock to swell the wood.  It is a quick
> and easy fix, and initially it works.  But a far superior answer is
> to restring the string, or even the section, with an oversize pin,
> rather than possibly damaging the wood in the pinblock with a
> chemical agent.

Sorry to say, but "Pintite" is primarily used by hacks (my opinion), and
not by real rebuilders or restorers.  Tom is right!  This product only
works initially.  Once a pinblock has been doped with this stuff the
option of restringing is out the window.

Pintite swells the wood cells all right, but after a cycle of summer and
winter the block will not re-swell into the same position and you're
forced to repeat the doping.  Unfortunately repeated dopings have little
if no effect, so after little more than a couple of years you either
replace the block (because you can't restring into a doped block) or you
toss the piano.

But you guys are missing the First Line of Defense against loose pins.
There are three remedies for loose tuning pins (in a non-cracked block),
in this order:

  1.  The pins are driven deeper into the block, often up to their coils.
      This can usually hold from two to five  years.

  2.  Restring

  3.  New pinblock

The only time it would be all right (in my mind) to use tuning pin
tightener would be prior to replacing the pinblock, since you'd be
getting rid of the old one.  Or, if someone were going to throw away
the instrument and had already tried driving in the pins, but doing a
restringing or putting in a new pinblock were not cost efficient.  As
long as they knew that they were only going to have a couple of more
years -- then kaput.

One more thing: "Pintite" will not work in a cracked block.  That's why
tapping the pins in deeper is a good idea (since in an upright, not even
the bottom of the block is visible).  Once the pins are driven in, the
tech must do several tunings.  During the first pass, if he comes across
a line of pins that did not increase in torque then there's proof the
block is shot.

Charles Flaum, RPT¶
CMF Piano Accessories¶
cmf@infi-net.com   www.infi-net.com/pianostuff¶
1-800-792-4457