[CAUT] durability (was funding)

[Rick Florence]

Thanks for the info Ed, and for the clarification.  I think our Piano
faculty are close to what your Chair does - hammers last about 4 years.  Our
performance major practice rooms make it 2-3 years.  We've tried a number of
different hammers, but the results are not much difference.  We are in the
middle of hanging a set of the new Abel Hammers (Bio felt?).  We'll see how
they do.

Our concert instruments are serviced twice a week and touched up before each
performance.  I suspect our program may a little busier than yours, however,
which necessitates the extra service.  Last year we had over 600 events.

Back to work...

Rick



____________________
Rick Florence
Senior Piano Technician
Arizona State University
School of Music

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
A440A at aol.com
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 8:37 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] durability (was funding)

Rick writes: 
<<  pardon the sound of my jaw hitting the

floor...23 years - in a piano faculty studio?!  I assume you are not using

"genuine parts."  

     That is right.  In 1983, the parts were teflon, so I repinned the 
original Steinway shanks and installed new knuckles, (I had more time than
money, 
back then).  Same thing with the whippens.  I installed new capstan felt, 
repinned them, replaced the springs, (this is an older Steinway) etc.  The
hammers 
were some of the early Tokiwa stuff, (I think).  That piano did spend some
time 
in a voice studio, so it hasn't been pounded the whole time, and it does
need 
new hammers, now.  
     There have always been two pianos in these studios, so the load was 
lighter.  In contrast, our piano chair practises like a fiend and usually 
completely wears out a set of hammers in 4 years. 
 
>>What have you found to be the most durable

parts/hammers/action felt?  I take it you have been successful in convincing

the

faculty (and their students) to not practice in their rooms. << 

      I think the most durable parts I have used have been the older Tokiwa 
stuff.  It seems like they just never wore out!  I am using a lot of Renner 
now, and have tried some Abel sets from Wally B.  Still too young to make
any 
valid comparisons on durability.  I know that a properly loosened up set of 
Renner Blues will last about 5 years on the stage piano that is used for 
everything, every day.  The Steinway hammers that were on before them were
sounding like 
bricks after a couple of years.  The last set of Abel Whippens needed most
of 
the flange pins cut, since they were sticking out the sides too far for 
accurate spacing of the whippens. 
 
>>I don't understand your key bushing statement "I bush keys with as

little caul pressure as I can, since the more pressure on the glue, the less

glue is pressed into the felt, which effectively decreases the working 
dimension

of the felt.  Bushings wear longer."  Are you saying you want more glue in
the

felt, and this is accomplished by less pressure with the caul?<< 

     No, I should have written "more" glue is pressed into the felt.  
     I want the least amount of glue in the felt as possible.  I have seen 
some systems of rebushing in which the sizing was done with bigger cauls to 
squeeze the felt harder while it is being glued, but I feel like the harder
the 
felt is pushed into the glue surface, the farther into the felt the glue
goes, 
and the sooner that hardness is being heard in the keys.  It seems like a 
thinner felt lasts longer than a thicker one that has the glue sqeezed
farther into 
it.  I was using boxcloth from Fletcher & Newman at the time, and I am not 
sure I have ever seen more durable felt, since. 


>> would you mind giving a budget amount you are

working with annually in relation to the replacement value of your
inventory? 
 >>

(sheepishly)  I don't really have a budget.   I just turn in whatever seems 
like needing to be done every year and they fund it.  Some years have been 
huge, others not so much.   We have 45 uprights (30 Yamaha's and 15 various 
things), 49 grands, (29 Steinways, 15 Yamahas, two Bechsteins, one Baldwin
and 2 
"things").  Oh, also, three harpsichords and a hurdy-gurdy. 
      In the last three years, there have been two $ 18,000 restorations, 
(new soundboards and actions), and approx $4,000 worth of regulation and
repairs 
per year.   This year we are doing one complete action restoration ($9,500),

one D to the factory for a soundboard and a local refinishing ($23,000), 
purchasing 3 P22's, the normal tuning and $3,500 worth of repairs and
regulations.  
Note that I am only taking care of the grand pianos, and have Danny Tassin
and 
Candace Wilken helping out with the twice yearly major tuning plan.  
     I tune the hall pianos, on average, twice a week.  If there are more 
performances, I am often called to tune them more.  The practise rooms get
tuned 
at the beginning of each semester, and the teaching studios at least that 
much, but sometimes three times.  The building is very stable and other than
a few 
rooms that have wide swings, most pianos will stay in tune for at least 4-6 
months.  
Hope this helps, 
Regards, 
 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html