Hi Ed, Fair enough, I was wrong (memory lapse) in some details and apologize. On the other hand, I would not characterize it as you did: "mainly, it seems, as a way to build them more cheaply." I wasn't there the first part of the 20th century, but I doubt very much it went slower and was more expensive. In any case, there are plenty of ways to offer criticism in a far more productive manner. Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm at unm.edu On Apr 17, 2009, at 9:06 PM, A440A at aol.com wrote: > Fred writes: > > << Take Ed Foote's > notion of how Steinway is making things more cheaply, exemplified by > "plastic glue and microwaving" in the production of rims, for > instance. Utter hogwash. The making of rims is probably the most > archaic and inefficient part of the whole operation. A gang of six to > eight guys come into the rim room with a stack of maple plies, plus > the appropriate finish veneer. They run the plies individually through > the jig that applies glue, with one of them brushing glue where there > are any thin spots or voids. They carry the stack to the caul, and > bend it around. They apply the various outer cauls, and the clamping > jigs. Lots of evening out work, adjusting here and there, getting it > to bend evenly around the curves. Tightening a bunch of clamping bolts > by hand, finishing with an enormous torque wrench. The whole thing > left to dry/cure for hours, usually over night. Maybe they sometimes > do two a day per caul (if so, first thing in the morning and last > thing at in the afternoon). Mostly one a day. Not a sign of microwaves > anywhere. If there are any, they sure don't work very well, or they'd > be able to take each rim off right away and start another. >> > > Gee Fred, you are pretty free with the insults. Or maybe you > know more > about hogs than the process I have witnessed at the factory. The > last two > times I saw them put a rim together, they put the "book" together,then > wrapped it in a metal coverlet for the last layer. After the thing > was clamped > down, they hooked up the metal ends of the cover to a high frequency > transformer. It was explained to us that this cured the glue in a > matter of hours. > Maybe great for production speed, but it was NOT the way the rims > were put > together for the first century of the brand. > And if you want to make the point that the physical properties of the > glue are unimportant to the way a composite assembly entrains, you > will have to > explain why. And while you are at it, maybe you can explain why > they > were still using hide glue for the soundboard ribbing, (this was in > 1975 ). I > was told (at the factory,by the guy that was doing it) that it was > because > it makes a better sound transmission. Exactly what are you using for > sources? > > > Ed Foote RPT > http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html > www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html > <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Access 350+ FREE radio stations > anytime from > anywhere on the web. Get the Radio Toolbar! > (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000003 > )</HTML> >
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