Fortepiano Wire (was Re: Brass wire)

Blaine Vesely bvesely@kent.edu
Tue, 26 Nov 2002 10:46:08 -0500


Jeff,
If you are saying to put a clip between the tuning pin and the nut (front 
termination point), I think I would opt to replace the whole string, but I 
have all the required wire here for our instruments.  You may have more 
space in a fortepiano, but in a harpsichord, you would have to put two 
double helix loops between these two points.  There isn't all that much 
space there.  It probably could be done, but the extra wire needed to make 
two loops in the brass or iron wire to connect to the clip will take away 
any gain in length the clip adds.  I think in a concert situation that the 
amount of time to do this might limit your ability to do accurate work, 
especially if 400 people are watching you do this, and there is no 
guarantee that all the variables will come together to have it work out.  I 
guess you could try it now when there is time to experiment.  The funny 
thing here is that the technician prior to me at KSU spliced several 
strings using typical splices that are still holding quite well between the 
tuning pins and nut, both brass and iron.  I think he was very careful when 
slowly bringing the pitch up.  Memory fails me at this point, but I think 
he pinched the top and bottom together (with his fingers?) from the flat 
side when increasing tension.  That kept everything tight so that the part 
of the wire in the splice that presses down on the end piece didn't slip 
out prematurely or have too much tension applied to it, and the tension 
increase pulled the knot tight before it even got to the held-down end 
piece, making the knot smaller.  Periodically he was pinching the sides of 
the knot to coax movement in the "round" areas of the splice.  I will have 
to ask him how he went about it.  Clear as mud?  I am realizing it is hard 
to explain.  There have been two instances of these old splices coming 
undone, so I replace with new wire.

Blaine Vesely
Kent, Ohio


At 09:39 AM 11/26/02 -0500, you wrote:
>Blaine,
>I just had a thought.  How do you think it would work to carefully unwind
>the old string off the pin and try the same trick using the unwound coil?
>If the loop will hold without breaking with the paper clip trick, what
>would be the difference?
>
>The place where my string broke when I attempted to use a piano string
>splice was the bend in the wire created where it crosses the loops, very
>similar to how how it crosses the "capo".  Broke in the same place both
>tries, both times on the tuning pin side of the splice.  May have simply
>been faulty wire, who knows?
>
>Thanks to all for the links/tips, etc.
>Jeff
>
>Jeff Tanner
>Piano Technician
>School of Music
>813 Assembly ST
>University of South Carolina
>Columbia, SC 29208
>(803)-777-4392
>jtanner@mozart.sc.edu
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives



This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC