Fw: New topic: Lifting the Strings

[Kevin E. Ramsey]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Kevin E. Ramsey
To: Piano Tech List
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2004 8:46 PM
Subject: Fw: New topic: Lifting the Strings




----- Original Message ----- 
From: Michael Gamble
To: pianotech
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 9:04 AM
Subject: New topic: Lifting the Strings


Hello List and Roger J.
You mentioned "lifting the strings" Could you explain the method, and the
why's and wherefore's here?
Regards from Sunny Sussex
Michael G (UK)


Michael, what this means is that you remove the bend the wire takes as it
comes into the capo-bar, or agraffe. You do this once the wire has ceased
stretching, or once it's stable. At least I do that, some people probably do
it when the piano's new, but I prefer to wait. The result is that the
strings are predictably level to the hammers, after which you can mate the
hammers to the strings. Run your fingers over the tri-chords in the tenor
area on a new grand, for instance, you will notice that you can feel some of
the strings are lower than the others. Now raise the hammers to the strings
by lifting on the jack tails, and pluck them.  Sure enough, the lower
strings sound blocked, and the higher strings are ringing. The let-off has
to be very close to do this, or else you can use a felt strip between the
jack and the knuckle to get this effect, in which case you will be taking
teflon off the knuckle, if you've just applied it.
    In order to lift the strings, or the way I think about it; "to seat the
strings on their forward terminations" you use a string hook on the tenor or
agraffe section, dragging the hook toward you, without lifting too
vigorously, and I use a brass rod, with the action out, from underneath the
action cavity, being careful to use the same amount of pressure on each
string in the cap-bar section. You can feel it easily with your finger if
you only use one.  In the bass, you only have to worry about the bi-chords,
although it may be wise to do it to the mono-chords also.In the bi-chords;
you may find a pattern where all the left strings block, and the right
strings are open, I don't know why that is, but I find that a lot on
Kawai's. Must be something to do with the string angle coming into the
agraffe. Pull up on the strings that are blocking, and they'll probably be
level. Of course, all of this wire work with destroy your tuning. If you
plan on  giving the piano under your hands this treatment, you should
probably have the piano about 15 or twenty cents sharp before you start,
otherwise you're going to be doing another pitch raise tuning.  If you want
to put the piano at 35 cents sharp, you can also remove the bend the wire
takes at the front bridge pin, by using an upright hammer shank and a 2
ounce hammer, putting the shank at a 45 degree angle to the string and
tapping  lightly.  A string under tension can easily dig into the bridge if
provoked.....

Well, you asked.   Those are my thoughts on the matter. Tomorrow I'll
probably read all about how I was wrong, or read this myself and wish that I
could edit it.

Kevin.