Why NOT to polish bass strings.......

[Frank Emerson]

I do not believe that hardening of the v-bar is as common as you may think, nor do I believe that it is particularly desirable.  One manufacturer for whom I worked used "termination pieces" to provide a harder termination, and I, for one, do not especially care for the tonal result.

Frank Emerson


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Dean May 
To: Pianotech List
Sent: 6/28/2007 3:55:11 PM 
Subject: RE: Why NOT to polish bass strings.......


For the benefit of this apprentice, isn’t that area hardened? Do you have to be careful not to file through the hardened part? 
 
Also, I was wondering if anyone ever cut a notch there instead and inserted a small brass rod for the termination point, ala Young Chang and others. I’m thinking most of the work could be done with a 4” grinder using a thin cutting wheel. A die grinder or dremel could do the rest.
 
Dean
Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 
PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 
Terre Haute IN  47802



From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of David Andersen
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 1:26 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Why NOT to polish bass strings.......
 
 
On Jun 28, 2007, at 8:50 AM, reggaepass at aol.com wrote:



P. S. Replacing the bass strings was expensive. The upside to this tale is that we decided to restring the entire instrument (which I had never done on a piano this "young"). The only thing we did while the strings were off was to spend a few minutes polishing the capo bar. WOW, what a difference for the better that made! Who would have thunk it? Not me, at least not prior to that experience.
ae
 
Tha capo area tone can undergo a radical positive change with proper profiling and polishing; many times we just restring the capo area (the top two treble sections) on a performance piano---and "V-out" the capo bar---file it to make the termination area narrower---and then polish it to make sure the string cuts in the soft metal are gone.
Lift, level, and stabilize the new strings, and the piano sings in the money area---the Holy Grail of every good player.
 
David "Always an Apprentice" Andersen 
 
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