[CAUT] Which S&S replacement action parts?

[Chris Solliday]

Beware of the "it's too smooth" complaint. Actually happened.
Chris Solliday rpt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Porritt, David" <dporritt at mail.smu.edu>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Which S&S replacement action parts?


> Fred:
> 
> I don't have an answer to the firmness-low-friction-no-wobble thing but
> there is an advantage to even friction in even touch weight.  The
> highest compliment I feel I can get is when a pianist says "it's so
> even!"  If all the shanks are firm, sound good, no wobble etc. but the
> friction is uneven you miss that compliment (and I like that one!)
> 
> dave
> 
> David M. Porritt, RPT
> dporritt at smu.edu
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
> Fred Sturm
> Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:24 AM
> To: ilvey at sbcglobal.net; College and University Technicians
> Subject: Re: [CAUT] Which S&S replacement action parts?
> 
> On Jun 25, 2008, at 9:18 PM, David Ilvedson wrote:
> 
> > I have been working at this very thing at Stanford.  Repinning all  
> > the D's.  I repinned the Hamburg to 4 grams and a year later it was  
> > maybe 1 gram.   I repinned again and used the very same center pin  
> > but had the friction back up...I was able to get about 5 grams.   I  
> > think the bushing cloth is polishing the center pin and lowering the  
> > friction.   My question is how do you know if you have adequate  
> > firmness?   At least I can measure the friction level accurately...
> Yes, there's the rub. OTOH, friction per se isn't a very useful
> 
> measurement, if it is going to change and be unreliable.
> Take key bushings. A wee bit of ironing on firm cloth with
> raised  
> hairs, and you can reduce the friction by a great deal (as measured in  
> UW/DW), and the key itself feels the same (in wobble/lack thereof).  
> Spongy cloth can have very high friction, and have a great deal of  
> side play at the same time. I think action centers can easily be the  
> same.
> My own process at this point, when I repin a full set of shanks,
> is  
> to try not to remove any felt. I go up a pin size (half size, .001")  
> using burnishing to get there. Fast action with the burnisher,  
> creating heat. And apply protek to every bushing. This seems to make  
> it possible to get lasting and consistent results. And I feel  
> reasonably confident I have the best firmness I can get.
> With Steinway, impregnated bushings, well, I find they stay firm
> 
> quite well over long usage, and that measuring friction doesn't tell  
> me a whole lot.
> >
> >
> > I've repinned a bunch of newer Yamaha grands measuring at barely 1  
> > gram.   I definitely find a much more focused tone.   Cleaner and  
> > eliminating, for a time, voicing issues...
> 
> I agree, with standard felt bushings I have the same experience.
> I  
> believe that if the friction is that low, there will be a fair amount  
> of wobble as the hammer is thrown, and that is where the change occurs  
> (less wobble, not because the added friction "slows down" the motion).  
> OTOH, I have found some of those Asian centers where there is high  
> friction, and still there is wobble - noticeable when feeling the end  
> of the hammer, knocking. IOW, friction is a dangerous thing to focus  
> on in and of itself. That is essentially the point I am trying to  
> bring up here. When someone says "I repinned to a precise X grams of  
> friction" what does that mean? Could mean a lot of different things  
> depending on technique and materials.
> 
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
> fssturm at unm.edu
> 
> 
>