[CAUT] F..riction

[Don Mannino]

Jim,

I don't know if the laboratory has measurement data of this, but if they did they are extremely close with their information - they don't share it much.  I'll have to see if I can get anything through one of the MPAs.

But it has certainly been confirmed empirically by technicians in dry places.  I have personally repinned hammer flanges and heard the change in tone.  But this is because there was clearly a problem when I started - if the system is working well with very low friction, as some do, then repinning it tighter won't make a clearly heard difference.  But if the low friction is contributing to too much fishtailing of the hammer, it will definitely be heard!

So to clarify, I don't believe the low friction causes the tone change so much, but the lack of control in the bushing that low friction can cause.  That's why I mentioned earlier that I like the sound of well fitted Teflon actions.  They can have almost no measureable friction, but still sound great.

Likewise, I have had very sluggish actions that I cleaned up and repinned and had customers remark at the improved tone.  The piano sounds dull, dead and thuddy with sluggish flanges, thin bright and lacking solidity if they are too loose.

Don 


-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Jim Busby
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 7:12 AM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] F..riction

Don,

Did your team gather info confirming this (tone) in the anechoic chamber? Might same me a bunch of time. This has always been debated here, with no "proof". 

Thanks!
Jim



<<<<pinning the hammer flanges with a little higher friction can definitely improve both tone and touch. Don Mannino>>>>