RE Inner/outer Rim Separati

[Don Mannino]

Paul Stephens wrote:

>>. . . Richard Elrod . . .has been to the Samick factory and reported that the
inner rim/belly assembly was assembled, strung,
and chipped before the outer rim was glued on.  He also mentioned that he had
worked at a grand factory years ago and that was the way all the grands were
assembled. <<

It's interesting to note the differences in style - as I mentioned earlier, I
hadn't seen this in use since Kimball, but it sounds like it's more common than
I thought. When I visited Mason & Hamlin in Massachussets they were stringing
the pianos after the rims were glued together, as was Baldwin in the 80s when I
visited there.

>>Don Mannino mentioned that perhaps the inner and outer rims could be screwed
as well as glued together.  In a luan structure, I don't believe that screws
would be of any value.  The outer rim is too thin for screws of any diameter to
have much holding power. <<

This was a procedure outlined by Mark Adams to repair a Korean grand in the
mid-80s. I don't remember if it was a Samick or Sojin nor do I know what size it
was.  It was a topic at a PTG chapter meeting.  You might want to call Mark and
pick his brain - he's in the PTG directory.

Ken Sloane wrote:

>>I have seen more than a few inexpensive grands with points of separation
between the inner and outer rim. If the separation is small (like .005  - .010
of an inch), does not span a large portion of the rim (like more than half a
square foot), and does not allow extraneous noises (like buzzes and rattles),
it's probably not cause for concern.<<

Thanks for mentioning this, Ken. I've seen this in a few expensive grands, too!
These small separations don't usually extend far up from the bottom - but some
people might spot the "crack" and get pretty worked up about it, when really it
shouldn't have any affect on the piano.

Don Mannino
74473.624@compuserve.com