Seems to me the important goal here is to be parallel to the plane on which the hammers travel from side to side (una corda). That means a carpenter's level on the key-bed, does it not? Then place carpenter's shims under the low caster until the bubble centers. Because agraffes are rarely on the same level (at least they aren't in the american-make-only schools I work at), level each set of unisons by agraffe. Andrew Anderson At 04:31 PM 7/21/2006, you wrote: >AND ... ALL stages and floors are NOT alike. > >SO ... Don't forget to "level" the piano before you use your >bubble gauge. > >Your strings might "tilt" in the direction of the Sun, just like >the earth. >( aka : Summer Time -- "Global Warming" ) Performers "heat up" when >their strings aren't level. ( Remember = spell it backwards : L e v e L ). > >This is very important to remember. How does one level the piano ?? >Try a longer, straight ( carpenter's ) level across the majority of >strings, or >from side-to-side across the rim of the piano ( just behind the music desk), >or on top of the stretcher. [ it'll be close enough to check it. ] Then, >Shims under the casters will work, or use a jack ( in the box ) on >the low side. >( having a student hold it up on one side won't be stable enough.) > >Do all of this ONLY --- if you want it to be >"accurate." .... Etarucca !! > > >Dan Tassin, RPT >Asst. Piano Tech, >Vanderbilt, Blair SOM > >----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:40:22 -0400 "Becker, Lawrence \(beckerlr\)" ><<mailto:BECKERLR at ucmail.uc.edu>BECKERLR at ucmail.uc.edu> writes: > >Joe- > > > >I have a way that works for me to use your bubble gauge near the >struts and where there isn't room between the dampers and v-bar. I >use a short section of flat brass that has been squared at both >ends. Stand it upright on the strings just in front of the damper, >with the bottom of the level in solid contact with the top of the >brass piece. I center the bubble, then pluck the >strings. (Different than sitting the gauge on the strings and >seeing where the bubble goes.) Trying to hold both pieces in one >hand might feel a little fumbly at first, but if I can do it, so can >most other folks. > > > >Lawrence Becker, RPT > >Piano Technician > >College-Conservatory of Music > >University of Cincinnati > >---------- >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf >Of Joe And Penny Goss >Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 3:45 PM >To: College and University Technicians >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Agraff levels > > > >Hi Should have proofed > >Their > >The thinner vial is inserted into a hole drilled into the 1/4" body >of the level with a window that helps make certain the tool is used >in the same orientation each and every time. > >The most often asked question? > >"Does the piano need to be level?" > >Yes, but only to determine if the bubble is in the window. If it is, >level to the same spot. > >If it is not, one needs to shim a leg. > >With uneven agraff, > >level the strings to the foot of the tool with the least slant, and >file the hammer to mate the string. > >At the struts often one or two unisons can not be leveled with the >foot. Eric Schandall showed me how he lays the level on its side >under the strut to reach these strings. > >Eric has purchased 20 or so levels. I think he gives them away to >folks who attend Steinway seminars and do not have one <g> > >Joe Goss RPT >Mother Goose Tools ><mailto:imatunr at srvinet.com>imatunr at srvinet.com >www.mothergoosetools.com > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: <mailto:imatunr at srvinet.com>Joe And Penny Goss > >To: <mailto:caut at ptg.org>College and University Technicians > >Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 1:16 PM > >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Agraff levels > > > >Hi Lance, > >To my knowledge string - hammer mating was never done on the level ( >sorry ) that it is today. > >It was more a mater of mating the hammer to whatever the strings >were. Sorry if there was a problem when the una corda pedal was used. > >It may have been Fazioli who was the first to use a level on their >instruments. There level was / is > >a piece of brass H channel with a vial in the top and the base cut >so it will cover just one unison. > >Very light and for me too light. When one plucks the string too hard >to test for good mating, the level tends to bounce off the unison. > >I introduced my first level at the Orlando national. It was way too >light. Only 10 were made. > >We settled on using a brass blank that weighs about 45 grams and >with the vial almost 50 grams. > >The only real change in the brass model was to use a thinner vial so >that the tool would stand up a little better to dropage without the >vial popping off. > >Joe Goss RPT >Mother Goose Tools ><mailto:imatunr at srvinet.com>imatunr at srvinet.com >www.mothergoosetools.com > >----- Original Message ----- > >From: <mailto:lafargue at bellsouth.net>lafargue at bellsouth.net > >To: <mailto:caut at ptg.org>'College and University Technicians' > >Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 8:42 AM > >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Agraff levels > > > >At the beginning of this thread I was concerned about an Estonia >with tilted agraffes and uneven agraffe/string holes. It was to the >point that I couldn't bend a string enough to compensate for good >string/hammer mating. I have seen this on other pianos, but not this much. > > > >It would be interesting to know who makes agraffes and are the plate >makers aware of the importance of a level plane (duh, >probably). With the increase in our world-wide market for parts >now, I wonder who makes them. > > > >The bottom line is that you cannot prep a piano to a high level >without this to lay a foundation on. > > > > > >Lance Lafargue, RPT > >LAFARGUE PIANOS, LTD > >New Orleans Chapter, PTG > >985.72P.IANO > ><mailto:lafargue at bellsouth.net>lafargue at bellsouth.net > >www.lpianos.com > > > > > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf >Of Fred Sturm >Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 8:53 AM >To: College and University Technicians >Subject: Re: [CAUT] Agraff levels > >I don't know where Steinway buys agraffes, but they now own Kelly >Plate, and they have upgraded that facility to install a computer >controlled drilling process. The spacing of agraffes in new pianos >is MUCH better in the past two to three years. I suspect the square >of the holes (hence lack of cant of the agraffes) is much better, >too - I haven't noticed much trouble leveling strings on the few new >instruments I have serviced. They used to have Kelly drill their >plates. Bad idea. > >All that said, perfection of hole drilling in cast iron is iffy at >best. The unevenness of the material itself causes bits to chatter, >at least in my experience. It's not like drilling brass. > >Regards, > >Fred Sturm > >University of New Mexico > ><mailto:fssturm at unm.edu>fssturm at unm.edu > > > > > > > >On Jul 17, 2006, at 8:04 PM, Willem Blees wrote: > > > >It sounds like we're talking about two different issues. One is the > >level of the agraff itself, compared to the level of the of the plate. > >What you claiming is that the plane of the agraff holes are not level > >with the plate. Which could be caused by poor drilling, or that the > >counter sink of the agraff hole is not flat, which will cause the > >agraff to cant to one side when it is tightened. > > > >The other issue is the holes in the agraff, which is what I was > >referrring to. Although there might be very minute differnces in the > >plane of the holes compared to the top of the agraff, I think the holes > >themselves are level. > > > >BTW, does Steinway make their own agraffs, or are they outsourced? > > > >Wim > >Willem Blees, RPT > >Piano Tuner/Technician > >School of Music > >University of Alabama > >Tuscaloosa, AL USA > > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/caut.php/attachments/20060723/4b0b589e/attachment.html
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