Center pin friction, yet again.

[David Skolnik]

Ed -

Extremely grateful for your thoughtful reply. Now I'll wait to see if there 
is any consensus on your opinion that there is no consensus O:) Similarly, 
Bill Garlick was the one who showed me the benefits of "above spec" pinning 
on the rep lever in order to increase jack speed.  I also recall Ric 
Baldassin's early demonstrations of the tonal effects of pinning, 
especially in the upper treble.  Lastly, while I haven't done much (any) 
liquid resizing of Permafree 2 bushings, I intend to, (regardless of 
whether it works or not) as I spent much time tracking down the correct 
denatured alcohol.  It shouldn't go to waste.

Thanks again

David Skolnik

At 11:21 AM 1/24/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>David writes:
>
><<  is there any consensus
>regarding the ultimate effects of the difference between "0 grams, without
>any sideplay", and whatever measurement might provide the "traditional" 5-7
>swings (of the hammer)? >>
>
>Greetings,
>    NO, there is no consensus!!!  All of us seem to have variations on a 
> theme
>inre hammerflange friction.  Reactionary trolls in their darkened shop
>corners don't usually do it the way of the factory production line.
>
>Some of the melodies I have heard played in the technical counterpoints we
>call "discussions" :
>1.  Zero friction is better, it improves the touch response.
>2.  The firmer the better;a mechanical damping allows a stronger spring and
>key response to be controlled.
>3.  Just enough to prevent sideplay is all that is needed, (continuo to # 1,
>above)
>4.  Firm enough to focus the tone and no more.
>5.  Whatever it is, as long as it is consistent, its OK, ( this is more of a
>cadenza for the individualist)
>
>     My own procedure was that taught by Bill Garlick, and it has stood me in
>good stead through all these years.  It is humidity influenced.  I swing the
>hammers to test friction, I count each pass through the nadir as a swing, 
>i.e.,
>if I let the hammer go from horizontal, and it swings out and back, that is
>two swings.
>      The bass hammers are heavier, so I pin them swing 6 times, the middle
>will swing 5, the top will go 4.
>If the weather is very dry, I let everybody gain 2 swings, if the conditions
>are very humid, I may reduce all by 1 swing.
>      Since all reaming will lose some tension after sufficient playing, I
>leave those bushings that I have had to, for one reason or another, ream a 
>lot, a
>little tighter. (sometimes one bushing is fine, but the other is verrrry
>loose, causing me to ream the tight one a lot. It will lose tension more 
>than the
>other, so I leave a little firmer fit in anticipation).
>   I live amid my rebuilds, so I get to see how this system fares with time,
>especially in the school.  It generally leaves me what I want, but
>occasionally, I find a repinned flange has loosened up a lot from where I 
>left it.  I
>learn from this, because I pencil the pin size under the hammer shank 
>boss, and
>the date.  The drastic loosening almost always comes from situations where 
>I had
>to ream a lot of felt to equalize the two sides. (see above).  Leaving extra
>firmness on these heavily reamed bushings minimizes this problem, but not
>always.
>         The tone is affected by tension when the tension gets too low.  With
>practice, you can learn to hear pinning looseness.  It is not unlike a broken
>hammer joint, just a little more subtle.  I have had one situation where I 
>had
>to repin the hammer line on one day, and return to regulate the next. The
>owner, (a professional classical pianist), remarked how much better the piano
>felt and sounded after I did nothing but repin!  The acoustical connection 
>of the
>hammer/shank/string/flange/action rail is certainly a factor in how the
>transient impact forces are defined upon hammer contact with the 
>string.  I liken
>it to the control of sound any employs by changing their hold on the sticks.
>An artistic percussionist can dramatically alter the sound by how tightly or
>loosely they grip the mallets or sticks.  (This is a Canadian concept that 
>was
>worth the price of a convention several years ago).
>      The later model Steinways felt is trickier. They say to use alcohol for
>the actions that tighten up, but my results with this have been way too
>inconsistent to accept.  If too tight, I ream slightly looser than I would 
>like,
>since the felt seems to recover and re-swell more than others.  If too 
>loose, the
>next size up will often be perfect. If not, then the least about of reaming I
>do, the better.
>      The factories don't seem to ream anymore.  They use a liquid 
> solution to
>size the bushings around smaller pins, then take them out and replace with a
>larger size.  It is quick, cheap, and inconsistent.  It may leave results 
>good
>enough to get the instrument out the door, but for fine work, it leaves much
>to be desired.  I have not found any substitute for individual attention to
>the bushings.
>     Consistency is paramount, and if you want a well finished action in both
>tone and touch, you Jolly well better check them all!  (:)}}
>Regards,
>
>Ed Foote RPT
>http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
>www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
>
>_______________________________________________
>Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives