What are loose pins and what do I do about them?
The tuning pins are what the tuner turns clockwise or counterclockwise to change the tension of the string, therefore changing the pitch. The tuning pins are held in place by the pin block into which they are driven. Sometimes, the wood in older pin blocks has dried out, causing the pins to become loose. Your technician can sometimes improve the tightness of the pins by hammering them deeper into the pin block or, as a last resort, increasing tension using pin tightening solution. These are fairly simple procedures. If neither of these techniques works, you can replace the pins with larger pins. When this is done, the strings are also replaced, an expensive procedure usually recommended only for valuable pianos.
