I probably should weigh in on the subject here, since I think I first brought up the Fujan lever last fall concerning my wrist injury. I have been very happy with the Fujan levers. I have both a 5 & an 11 degree head, as well as all the various lengths of tubes. (Long story how I ended up with them all, but Steve had a glitch in the assembly of my order that required sending things in 2 shippings, so he let me try them all. I'll be shipping some of it back, but wanted to take the lot to the chapter meeting to show everyone, but had to miss the last meeting.) I got an extension, but opted to use my own tips. However, I did end up buying a long Watanabe tip from Pianotek, which I generally leave on the 5 deg. head & mainly use the 6.5" tube, making an 10.5" lever. It clears virtually anything, while keeping the lever on a plane very close to the string line. (I tune with lever parallel to the string line if at all possible.) The 11 deg. head gets the shorty & the 9" tube, for a 13" lever. I worked with both the 11" & 13" tubes, but have settled on the shorter ones, due to the ergonomics & my tuning style. The longer tubes certainly make things easier with the extra leverage, but the additional movement due to the length of the arc takes some getting used. You have to bear in mind that I have used the shorty extension I developed for Schaff for years -- usually in the shortest mode -- about 6". Now I just use that hammer on A-1 & in the high treble if room is really tight. Though I could feel everything in the pin, & it was amplified by the length, stability suffered a bit 'til I got used to the new technique. (I also had to shift my hand position to use different muscle groups, which took some getting used to.) The weight of the Fujan lever (even the longer ones) is such that it's easy enough to shift the head from pin to pin without shifting the grip. It just takes some getting used to, & a conscious effort to make the process a habit, which builds the necessary strength. As to the issue of lever flexion, I realize that most of what we feel is movement in the pin itself. However, prior to getting my Fujan levers I went back to an old extension lever I had used for several years early in my career. It's a lever I got with some other tools from the widow of a tuner years ago. It was old then, & I don't know the make, but it is an excellent lever! Very solid feel to it. I also trotted out others in my assortment of tuning levers. However, the Fujan is much more sensitive....you can feel everything that's going on in the pin & string. The pin is much more responsive & controllable as well. One can attribute that to the additional length, but the extra control seems to be there in similar length levers. I can't help but attribute that to the stiffness of the tube. As to the ball, I find it very comfortable. I shift my position around, depending on the angle & situation, but mostly use the knob on the end, keeping my wrist in a neutral position with minimal stress. It's kept me tuning when I might not have been able to otherwise. On another note, I have been going to a therapist who has done more in the last month than all the Drs., Neurologists, Orthopedic surgeons, etc., etc. have done in the past year. He uses the "Strain-Counter Strain" technique, which is very simple & sensible, & really works. Otto ----- Original Message ----- From: <rwest1@unl.edu> To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org> Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 5:22 AM Subject: Re: [CAUT] Tuning Hammers > I've had a question about the "ball type" tuning levers. I bought > one last year because the buzz was that these hammers are > "ergonomically correct." i.e., align everything to make less stress > on the joints, etc. Are there studies proving this? I've returned > to my old tuning hammer because I found the ball type was causing > pain and cramping in the palm of my hand. I think I determined that > the way I hold that lever causes me to use my fingers more often to > pull, and this was stressing my joints. With the old fashioned > lever, I put the end of the lever in the knuckle area of my hand and > hardly use my fingers to pull the hammer. Also the ball type lever > I bought was slightly shorter which require more effort to pull hence > more stress. I'm interested in the fujan lever, but I'm concerned > about the ball. Am I using improperly? > > Richard West > University of Nebraska > > On Jan 24, 2006, at 8:45 PM, Kent Swafford wrote: > > > > > On Jan 24, 2006, at 8:27 PM, Barbara Richmond wrote: > > > >> > >> Hmm, does it matter which poison one uses as long as the piano > >> stays in > >> tune? > >> > >> Have I actually been ruining the tuning pins on pianos for the > >> last 20 or so > >> years using a Hale, extension hammer (extended), short tip, short > >> 15 degree > >> head? (My first few years with a Schaff that got stolen.) > >> > >> Does hammer technique make any difference? > > > > My point, my question exactly. > > > > My light titanium tuning with an extra short 20 degree head tunes > > like a dream. My dream, not someone else's dream. Some say the 20 > > degree head is wrong, so I have chosen my poison which seems to > > work for me, but bothers others. > > > > Kent > > > > _______________________________________________ > > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >
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