Please remember a level is only good if the piano itself is level. At 06:38 AM 7/23/2006, you wrote: >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/e1083c77/attachment.html
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