High treble string breakage

[John Delacour]

At 5:51 07.09.95, Barb Richmond wrote:
|: On Thu, 7 Sep 1995, John Delacour wrote:

|: Wow, this *is* interesting.  So when did Poehlmann go out of business?
|: I thought Steinway used Mapes (at least in the US).  But I guess that
|: this (breakage in the treble) would prove they don't make good wire
|: either. Alas!

I guess Poehlmann folded in the '70s but I don't know, though I ought to.
Whether they were absorbed into Roeslau I am not sure.  In the 70's I
always used Giese wire in preference to Poehlmann since it had a better
colour and polish; as to the relative strengths I can't be sure.  Giese
were absorbed by Roeslau and it is probably then that the rot set in.  At a
certain point Roeslau, now having a virtual monopoly in Europe, altered the
formula for the piano wire and began using a mix that cost them less
trouble.

Brief details of the tensions achieved in the good old days are to be found
in Alfred Dolge's book (Publ. Dover).  Even in 1850 the strengths achieved
were higher than I expect from modern wire.  By 1870-80 the results were
phenomenal.  As a bass string maker I come across a lot of the old
Poehlmann wire and one day I will have it properly analysed and tested for
indications of the drawing techniques used which are obviously as important
as the actual alloy used.

As to Japanese and American wire I have no idea.  Certainly English wire
has never excelled since about 1840.

Do Mapes publish the breaking strains of their wire?  I should be glad to
have their address if someone could email it to me.

I really wish people would make more fuss about wire quality.  Treble
strings never used to break on Steinways and they wouldn't break today if
the wire were of the proper quality.

It must be remembered that the one factor that enabled the modern piano to
develop was the development of music wire.

I am a little sceptical when I hear talk of "fatigue" in piano wire.
Perhaps someone can explain how this fatigue manifests itself and what
scientific papers exist on the subject.  I am not sure that metal fatigue
is a very significant factor in string breakage.

        JD