Steinway Upright Pinblock Replacement

One of the biggest challenges involved in  restoring uprights is replacing the pinblock.  To remove the plate without tearing out the keybed, etc., can be impossible.   A 40″ Steinway console with loose tuning pins came to our shop this summer.  With no other option than pinblock replacement we set about to just that.  This particular Steinway was a 1953 100 year anniversary edition,  so taking apart the cabinet wasn’t an option.  Instead we used a drill press w/ 1.5″ Forster drill bit to remove the original pinblock.  The block did not have a ‘notch’ , but  was butted against the plate along a simple straight line.  Drilling out the old block was a slow, painstaking process which required patience.