Bechstein Restringing
Here I've covered the pinblock inserts with veneer which I've stained and polished to match the colour of the soundboard. The little holes have been drilled through the templeate to show where the main pinblock holes are.
strings 01 		The holes in the veneer match the holes in the pinblock.
strings 02 		I'm putting the frame back into the piano, using an ... automotive chain-block. The bucket contains the chain and protects the frame. The little metal staples on the white cardboard protect the cabinet while the frame is being lowered into position.
strings 03
strings 04
strings 05 		The stringing pillow still has the strange coloured felt on it ...
strings 06
... and now I've put the genuine Bechstein olive felt on the wooden pillow.
strings 07 		The alto and soprano sections are done. Where the strings loop around the hitch-pins there are little circles of the olive felt. This feature doesn't make the piano go faster, but there is something aesthetic about sticking to the maker's colour-scheme.
strings 08 		The beginning of the tenor section.
strings 09
strings 10 		I had drilled the pinblock at a diameter slightly below the final choice. There is no absolute formula for predicting the torque of the tuning-pins. It depends on how far into the block you drive the pins, and how old the pin-block timber is. In this case I used longer pins than the originals, meaning that the correct torque can be achieved with a slightly looser fit than would be the case with shorter pins. Each hole had to be drilled out a fraction. I measure the torque with every pin to check for consistency. I have no time for the notion of saving time by banging the pins in and hoping for the best. There's no hope here, just certainty.
strings 11
strings 14
You work your way down from right to left. The two left-most pins still have the coils up about 12mm off the pin-block, and these coils haven't been tidied up yet.
strings 16
strings 17 		The becket - the part of the string which goes into the hole in the pin - needs to be squeezed. This allows the string to stabilize more quickly, as well as providing a better visual effect. There's nothing less appealing than a stringing where the beckets are all over the place.
strings 18 		This is the torque-gauge, or tension-wrench. As mentioned, the torque of each pin is checked.
strings 19 		Tenor section finished!
strings 20 		I do the bass from the left. It's easier to work on tidying up the coils this way. Starting with the thickest, most difficult strings, it get easier as you go.
strings 21
All done.
strings 22
strings 23 		There's plenty more work to go. I spent the whole of the next day tuning the piano over and over. Then there's the listing-felt in the back lengths. No photos yet. To do.
strings 24
   
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