Finding the strike line another method

[David Love]

Varied hanging distances off the shank center are certainly not a phenomenon
present on only Steinways.  The curved line I haven't seen much on other
pianos but I hung a set of hammers on a Boesendorfer recently that required
gradually increasing the distance through the last capo section.  Always
good to test the strike point when possible before you remove the old
hammers.  You can save a lot of work by making notations from the existing
hammers. 

David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Steve Blasyak
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 10:45 AM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: Finding the strike line another method

Hey Now,

To David, Dale and all the list.

Is this procedure/phenomenom only present on Steinways?

Thanks in advance.

Stuck in Yamaha M500 land...it could be worse I could have wurlitzers with
separated pin blocks :-).

Just kidding I have my fair share of nice Grands, and a few Steinways too.

Steve

OC CA.

Pura Vida


> [Original Message]
> From: David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
> To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Date: 7/25/2007 12:00:25 AM
> Subject: Finding the strike line another method
>
>       
> Another example of modified strike line in a Steinway B c1983.  My method
is
> somewhat like Dale's except when I have the entire piano in the shop. 
When
> I suspect there is a problem I hang all the hammers in the tenor and the
> upper treble section at 130 mm leaving the lower capo section unhung. 
Most
> problems in Steinway's are in that section though they can drift into the
> upper section as well.  It's always a good idea to test strike point
> accuracy on the old hammers before you remove them or destring the piano.
> Anyway, after finding the proper strike point for C88 I set the blocks or
> markings on the keybed and test the lowest note in the upper treble to see
> if it is correct.  If it is not (in this case it wasn't) I move the action
> in or out (out in this case) until I find how far it needs to move.  Then
I
> work my way up the scale until I find the note which doesn't need to be
> moved.  In this case C7 was fine but F6 need to come in to 127 mm and the
> notes between C7 and F6 progressed uniformly.  I made a mark on the key
> indicating a 3 mm move was necessary on F6 and C7 was ok.  Next I hung
> samples at the end of the lower capo section (C5 and E6) and on G5 and C6
so
> that the samples are fairly evenly spaced through the section.  I secure
the
> hammers with only a tiny spot of glue on the top of the shank and don't
spin
> the hammer as I slide it on.  That makes it very easy to remove but holds
it
> in place so you can test for tone without the hammer rotating on you.  By
> moving the action in and out I found that the 127 mm hanging at F6 needed
to
> be continued at E6 and move in to 126 mm at C6.  G5 needed to be moved in
> only to 128 mm.  C5 was perfectly happy at 130 mm.  I made marks on the
keys
> to indicate the extent of the move for my samples.  I then removed the
> action from the piano and rehung my samples at the appropriate distance.
> Then I removed and rehung the hammers in the upper capo that needed to be
> moved to form a straight line between C7 and F6 after which I hung the
rest
> of the hammers in the lower capo section.  I prefer this method when you
> have the piano in the shop rather than hang the entire section and then
move
> all the hammers that need moving.  By sampling you can get a good
indication
> of the extent of the curve modification without hanging, removing and then
> rehanging the entire section.  When you have only the action in the shop,
it
> is probably better to hang the entire section and then figure on moving
once
> you get back to the piano.  A simple flat tray, a straight edge, a heat
gun,
> hammer removing pliers and reamer are all you really need to do the job
> quickly on site.  Hanging the hammers with Titebond trim glue to begin
with
> will allow you to duplicate the glue collar without resorting to heating
up
> a pot of hide glue (does anyone still use that stuff:-)).  It's a hassle,
> but worth the trouble when you hear a smoother tonal transition through
the
> capo section.  
>
> David Love
> davidlovepianos at comcast.net
> www.davidlovepianos.com