P.S. Speaking of "ethical actions", I think an action
devoid of animal products would be more ethical, as it
would not involve the infliction of suffering upon
others in an instrument otherwise capable of creating
such beauty!
A dichotomy, this.
I know Steinway did extensive testing on
Teflon(TM) hammers once, but not of the results.
Surely, if we can put a man on the moon, there is some
non-woven
( besides felt or Teflon(TM) ) with superior qualities
of humidity resistance, wear, etc.. which would work?
I have an acquintance seriously in that industry.
Think I'll ask.
And since elephants are no longer (usually)
slaughtered so that Mrs Biffstoneworthington can have
a $20,000 stand for her flowerpot, and good
substitutes for hide glue are available, that just
leaves buckskin: which I am experimenting replacing
with woven Teflon and Kevlar.(Intellectual Property
thieves please note!!!: I have begun patent
proceedings, and this world-wide post is further proof
that it was "my idea" first, so don't you even think
of it!!!!!! On the other hand, if you are suddenly
inspired with some "variations on the theme" please
feel free to contact me privately, and we might just
be named "Co-creators" ! )
Woven Teflon has, of course, almost no
co-efficient of friction, while providing ample
"cushion" to prevent clicks. It has "grain", depending
on the weave, allowing the jack to slip under it one
way with less resistance than the other. I am
currently rebuilding a Victorian Knabe upright with
this system, which I intend to place in a restuarant
where I will impose upon it Vicious Stride Piano for
several hours a day, to see what happens! This
material substitution may also lend itself to
alterations in action geometry, knuckle or butt shape,
angle, etc.
For that matter, why not put the Teflon(TM) on
the jack, and leave the knucle or butt solid? (solid
Teflon(TM)?)
For that matter, why not put a little roller on
the end of the jack? It did wonders for the automotive
engine (lifters) and allowed for the redesign of
camshafts. Buckskin may have been considered the best
material 300 years ago. Surely, we can do better!
And now (especially Del, please ) I would like to
discuss the issue of soundboard wood:
While the fellows at the 1917 AS&W convention may
have overstated the importance of the "tiny resonant
cavities" in cured spruce as this wood's prime
contributor to "ideal piano tone", surely it plays a
role, along WITH the board's motion as a diaphragmatic
sheet( which must be supressed somewhat by downbearing
and all those other, dampered strings ) !
After all, if I hold a tuning fork against a
foot-square, solid block of properly cured spruce
( hardly a diaphragm! ) it will STILL sound better
than if I place it against a similary sized block of
maple ( or cast iron )!
I pondered such things fervently at age 19 (
perhaps why my fiancee departed ) and realizing that
styrofoam had all the requisite characteristics of an
ideal resonant body ( according to thoseAS&W "suits" )
took a tuning fork to a $1.50, molded styrene bucket
and "VOILA"!! It produced such volume that I nearly
had to calm the neighbors! Fearing that it might be
the partially the "horn" bucket shape, I broke it
into fragments. But ALL those fragments still
amplified the tuning fork's audible sound mightily.
And MUCH more mightily than spruce!!! ( Which also
presents problems of specific resonance, i.e. --you
could make an idiophone ( xylophone, etc..) bar out of
spruce...but NOT out of styrene foam board! )
I rushed over to Harvey Roehl's house ( Reblitz's
publisher ) to show him, and he encouraged me to
pursue this. 25 years later, I'm still getting " A
round tuit.".
As open-cell styrene insulation has almost NO
structural strength, its support system as a sound
board would need to be diffetent than a traditional
suport system. I envisage strong carbon
( or other) composite ribs, with little specific
resonance but plenty of "springiness" notched into the
bridges, with foam ( perhaps free-floating from the
rim ) attached to their backside. And this stuff's so
light that several layers of it could be sandwiched
together, either as a slab, with spaces between the
sheets, or with it at right angles to the initial
"board' ( such as hanging down as "resonance sheets"
in a grand ) before its weight impeded vibraton as
much as one spruce soundboard!!!
( I have also thought of experimenting with it
attached behind an old piano soundboard, with long,
thin bolts which are secured through the old wooden
board and into the bridges, then out behind the posts
to suspend several layers of foam board, clamped
between washers. At some point, of couse, the added
weight would impede resonance more than the foam board
aided it.)
Or it could be veneered with spruce, metal or
solid plastic for looks or strengh ( Blue foamboard
"Dow R=14.5" wouldn't fly with
Mrs.Biffstoneworthington's decorator! )
With adequate strength, or as a block ( but
free-floating ) bearing pressure could be adjusted
with a mechanism to alter overall tone ( or create
"Loony Tune" type sound effects!!! )
I know this probably sounds a bit ghastly, and
some are probably vomiting at the very thought of it
but, besides increased resonance, this material would
also cure the problem of humidity - related tuning
instabilty.
Especialy if the entire piano rim were of
injection molded, high impact plastic. HA HA HAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHH!!!! ( Mad Scientist Noise )
Sweet Dreams,
Gordon Lee Stelter
P.S. These ideas, too, I am seeking patent on.
--- gordon stelter <lclgcnp@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Spiritual progress is the only reason we should be
> here, period. Fixing pianos, or any other endeavor,
> should only be to that end. Every piano we rebuild,
> no
> matter how carefully, will disintegrate
> ( in geological terms ) in the wink of an eye! Only
> the ethics of our actions last forever.
> Gordon Stelter
> --- Pianofxrguy@AOL.COM wrote:
> > I heard a program on the radio, NPR I think, that
> > women and men share their
> > problems differently. Women will often share with
> > another woman over a meal
> > or coffee or tea or sitting in the living room.
> Not
> > exclusively, but most
> > often. Men seem more likely to open up if they are
> > working together on some
> > project, most often a hands on project like
> building
> > something or working in
> > a shop.
> > I thought back to the times that my son, who will
> > claim everything is fine in
> > public or in the living room, would start to talk
> > about what is really
> > bothering him once we were sanding piano parts or
> > taking hammers off an
> > action stack. A couple of friends of his worked
> for
> > me several summers and
> > there were some similar times where the
> conversation
> > was about personal
> > things, not the piano we were working on.
> > Having a shop doesn't make us a bartender or
> > minister but, the way men are
> > wired, it does give us an opportunity to relate on
> a
> > deeper level with people
> > who need a friend or with people who can be a
> friend
> > to us.
> > Piano technology as therapy.... who knew?
> > John Stroup
> >
>
>
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