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How unusual is it to have the winding of wound strings go all the way up to the tuning pin? I've not seen that on any but my old Wornun. Anybody else seen it?

Wrapping of copper this may be, but it's wrong. A winding should not cross a strip bar or agraffe. I was most surprised by a pins. It's some kind of medieval rectangle-harpsichord's pins

Early keyboard instruments often have windings that extend right up to the wrestpin. I still come across such examples from time to time, so from my point of view, it's not uncommon

But why? Is it a correct? It's a windings shall break during a tuning.

It is simply the way things were often done with early keyboard instruments, and whilst your concerns may well be justified, modern restorations of theses instruments maintain the practice of extending the windings to keep specification within the original design. It should be noted that these examples are absolutely nothing like modern versions, and for that precise reason, many early keyboard players want to experience as close a sound as possible to that of previous eras

It made perfect sense to me and then - you know how you don't really notice things till you need to? I saw other pianos this week and how they don't! You would have thought it would have an effect but maybe not as much as the historical makers thought.

Thank you Johnkie. Keep a traditions is noble theme

May be

The long winding does have effect on the IH. On basstrings the IH increase with longer bare steel endings.

It's a shame you couldn't get those windings neater on the new strings. They will be pretty unstable like that. You need to lift the coils up, tap them together and squeeze the beckets tight (where the string turns the corner into the hole).

What is IH?

and Phil, thanks, I'll try and do better on the next 20 strings.

Inharmonicity

Ah, so historical is potentially better?

Yes. That winding thing was quite common. Érard did it also both over the bridges and through an oversize agraf hole. I knew one, the strings had to be 140 years old and more, none of the signs of broken strings.

Please please let's not think for even a moment that those old makers knew nothing!!! A lot of solid technology has been forgotten. I write this as I listen to a 100 year old concert grand that, while it feels to have a confidential voice to the player, is currently filling the hall with a good quality huge sound.

If you really really want to do it right, all the pins should be facing precisely the same way. When that piano was new, all the pins faced the same way as the top pin on A#. (7oclock-1 o'clock) in your photograph. That was the hallmark of a good stringer. - still is..... In good work today, all the becketts face the same way.

Remember, with an oblong pin, the tuning hammer can only go on the pin one of two ways and when you consider the inconveniences of the other way... Only one way was left. That one angle better be convenient.

Very interesting. So the A# (original) is the only correct one?

Yep.

These pianos were always tuned with a T hammer up until later in their lives. The Oblong slot is always in line with the handle.

Now that makes more sense. I've been tempted to bid on the antique ones that turn up on ebay. Something tells me my handle with exchangeable sockets may be an advance though.

I'm not sure about that, myself. The invention of the ability to put a lever on a pin at any old angle, while I welcome it, might just be directly or indirectly responsible for much sloppy tuning.

I take it with a tuning hammer the wrist does the work. It may preserve the pins more.

Dear rxd, I am also inclined to believe that such a winding bass string is the technology setting of past times. I suppose it's the timbre sound more soft and muffled. But I do not know, I did not hear that. It's was made old technicians of theirs coordinated action They keeping that technology setting of a string