LeadFingersErnie Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Has anybody got any hints or tips for fitting valve pins? Getting what is, in effect, a small nail into the wood along the side of a valve chamber has defeated me. Daren't use a hammer, can't get the end of a pair of pliers into the space. Help!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 You could try thin nosed pliers , there are many different shapes available , make a visit to a good hardware/tool shop.... Perhaps someone has made a special tool for this purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Collicutt Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 For small nails I use pins, and squeeze in with pliers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglogeezer Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 You've obviously got enough space to swing a hammer!! So how about this??? http://www.axminster.co.uk/ram-pin-or-push-pin?gclid=CPyAv47Lp8ACFW3JtAodwhoAAA It's a spring loaded punch inside a hollow barrel. Load the pin inside the barrel, hold in position and push - hand power only?? Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqzbxr Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 http://youtu.be/B9h9p-vZv3k Start watching at 15:47. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeadFingersErnie Posted August 23, 2014 Author Share Posted August 23, 2014 Thanks folks for some good tips. The Youtube clip was particualrly interesting. She used pliers I see, so maybe the pins I am using are not sharp enough or the wood too hard. I like the gadget from Axminster. Thanks for that Jake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann-p Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I snipped the ends of dressmaking pins and used similar pliers as in the youtube clip. The pins have a sharp end so if they are too sharp just take a bit of the sharpness off, otherwise they can go right through the wood. The pins are nice and stiff and easy to push in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Edgley Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Yes, the ends of dressmaking pins work quite well.....sharp enough to pierce the chamber dividers.....no nails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d.elliott Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I use off cuts from springs, clipping the wire at an angle to make the point. I find dress maker's pins are too tapered. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann-p Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I don't have spring offcuts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Go to a model shop, a proper one, not one which only sells kits, and buy piano wire. Plenty of online shops around too. A single metre or yard length will do you a number of concertinas for less than a pound or a dollar. Cut it on an angle as Dave says. Use needle nose pliers to push it in as someone else said. If it is replacement for a lost one put it in a new place beside the old hole and remember to seal up the old hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Go to a model shop, a proper one, not one which only sells kits, and buy piano wire. Plenty of online shops around too. A single metre or yard length will do you a number of concertinas for less than a pound or a dollar. Cut it on an angle as Dave says. Use needle nose pliers to push it in as someone else said. If it is replacement for a lost one put it in a new place beside the old hole and remember to seal up the old hole. Does piano wire come in only one thickness? If not, what thickness/diameter do you recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Piano wire, or music wire, is springy steel and comes in a multitude of diameters, not sure how big it has to be before you start calling it rod rather than wire. I use .020", near enough to .5mm. I would rather use stainless steel for corrosion reasons but have never found any at that size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inventor Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 (edited) Piano wire comes in some thirty different sizes. When I was experimenting with other types of musical instrument around 40 years ago I made myself a Hammer Dulcimer arranged in the Hayden system. I used size 6 or 7 piano wire which I obtained from "Fletcher and Newman" along with harpsichord tuning pegs. They had a warehouse in the Seven Dials area of London at the time. I see from the internet that they are still in business but have moved to Borough Green in Kent (not too far from Faversham). They list size 8 as being .020" thick. You would hardly need a whole coil to replace a few valve pins, but they might have off cuts Inventor. Edited August 30, 2014 by inventor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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