But the information you give indicates that the hammer bore distance is _not_ fine. Is the keyframe properly bedded? If so, you need to measure string height(A) and cener pin height of the hammer flange(B). Bore distance = A - B. "Factory spec." is generic, not optimal. In the factory hammers are hung generically without regard for other deviations from factory spec. in building the piano. Ed S. Original Message ----- From: pianolover 88 To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 12:25 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Steinway L rebuild question Thanks for all the helpful replies. The hammer bore is fine; no difference in strike distance using OLD hammer and new wipp. Btw, I had W. Brooks hang the hammers to the shanks using Steinway L specs. I just screwed them on and aligned and travelled as necessary. Yes, new wippen cushions seem to be the culprit as they are indeed 3-4mm higher than the originals. I think I will try the compression method for 24 hours and see if they stay compressed enough to give me 1 3/4" plus maybe at least a hair of space between the shank and cushion. Other than that everything seems peachy! I was at the client's house yesterday prepping for restringing, and there were maby 8-10 pins that came out "wobbly", even though pins were perfectly straight! Pinblock had previously checked out in excellent condition with no loose pins or any signs of problems; all pins were consitently and adequately tight. Any idea why those few pins came out so wobbly? Cheers, Terry Peterson Accurate Piano Service UniGeezer.com "Over 50, and not "2" Tired!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To: pianotech at ptg.org Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:51:36 -0400 From: wimblees at aol.com Subject: Re: [pianotech] Steinway L rebuild question Terry Before doing anything drastic, I would measure the height of the wippen cushions on your Tokiwas wips and compare it with the height of a S&S wip cushion. I agree with David that the ones you have are too tall, and cutting off a 1/4" or even 3/8" of felt is not against the "rules", and would be much easier than reboring the hammers. Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT Piano Tuner/Technician Mililani, Oahu, HI 808-349-2943 Author of: The Business of Piano Tuning available from Potter Press www.pianotuning.com -----Original Message----- From: pianolover 88 <pianolover88 at hotmail.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Fri, Jul 24, 2009 11:07 am Subject: [pianotech] Steinway L rebuild question Hello all, I'm rebuilding a Steinway L, circa 1962, and I just finished replacing all the wipps, hammers, shanks, flanges. All these parts are Tokiwa, and I must say I'm pretty happy with the quality and fit. For the hammers I went with abel encore naturals, since I've used these before on S&S and was very pleased, I did the same here. My question has to do with regulating strike distance to 1 3/4". As we know, many pianos have an adjustable rebound rail. We also know that Steinway d oes NOT. Each rebound cushion is part of the wippen, and does not have a separate up/down adjustment. The reason I bring this up, is that now with all new action parts in place, I find that I must lower the hammers all the way down, firmly resting on the cushions, but that still only yields about 1.5" strike distance. I did bench regulate about a half an octave just to see how it responded at the shortened SD, and it seemed perfectly fine, but I'd like to get it to proper specs. I realize that new parts need breaking in, and the new knuckles will also compress. I tried compressing a few of the cushions by pressing down on them for about 10 seconds, and that put me almost to 1 3/4", but they will likely puff up again. So I placed a box of jiffy weights along the tops (see pic) of a few of them, and if I leave for a day or so, do you think this will compress them enough to allow for proper strike distance, and possible even enough to actually get the shanks at least a bit off the cushions? Or is this not a good idea? Thanks in advance for any help on this issue. Cheers! Terry Peterson Accurate Piano Service UniGeezer.com "Over 50, and not "2" Tired!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Store, access, and share your photos. See how. = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Search, add, and share the web’s latest sports videos. Check it out. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20090725/ffc0922b/attachment.htm>
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