Hi all,  In regards to cracked and broken plates, a Gulbransen player
that I've had around now for 14 years has a cracked plate.  It's been
cracked since I got the piano.  I drilled an 1/8 inch hole at the end
of the crack and it has never traveled from there.

I've tuned 5 other Gulbransens (all players at one time) that have
the same crack (lower bass side of the plate), it was a casting flaw in
1925 when these pianos were built (all of them are the Gulbransens with
the $450 price tag on the back).  None of the screws were loose when
I tuned them.  I did tighten up quite a few of the screws though.

I also rebuilt an old square Otis & Bloomfield piano for a customer,
one of the pressure bars on the top of the plate were broken off
completely.  I had it welded at a good weld shop, it's shown no sign
of even cracking.  So far I've been lucky and haven't had a plate go
"boom" during or after a tuning/pitch raising.

Dan Armstrong - Armstrong Piano Tuning & Repair
Pine River, Minnesota