[pianotech] Another Jig - Square Grand???

Joseph Garrett joegarrett at earthlink.net
Mon Jan 7 19:08:57 MST 2013


Terry said/asked:
"1. Another Jig - Square Hammer (Terry Farrell)
 
 
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2013 19:50:25 -0500
From: Terry Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Another Jig - Square Hammer
Message-ID: <A78E6F0E-1BF3-4C75-AE02-06CC39188B1C at tampabay.rr.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
 
As long as we are sharing jigs........
 
Here's my desperation jig for hanging hammers for a square grand. The
trouble I have found with the square is that shank length varies for each
and every note. Also, the way the hammer core is trimmed seems to be unique
to each hammer. I'm sure that the piano designer designed the piano to have
equal-length shanks, but I find that if you want the hammer to hit the
strings, for any given note, somewhere near the middle of the hammer, you
need to measure by trial and error (and error and error and error.....)
each and every hammer.
 
 
 
So I make a little X at the apex middle of each hammer, install it in the
piano, measure how far I need to increase or decrease shank length to
center the hammer on the strings...........
 
> 
 
Return hammer to jig and use the rule to measure which way and how far to
move it the measured amount.
 
> 
 
 
And then you re-install the hammer only to find that you installed it 1/100
of a degree different from when you measured it and the darn thing isn't
centered again.......
 
Joe - how on earth do you do this? THIS is not an easy task!!!!!"
 
Terry,
I think what you are doing is compensating for hammer clearance, but in the
wrong way. Judging from the pics, it does not look like you are
additionally trimming/sanding/??? each hammer before installing or doing
this jig thang. (Correct me if I'm wrong<G>)
The way I do it is to do every other hammer. I remove the "top action" and
clanp the ends with Jorgenson Clamps and "C" clamps to the to bench top. 
NO, every hammer shank is not a different length! Can't stress that enough.
There is exceptions to that, tho. The first 3-4 hammers, (i.e. A0, A#0, B0
& C1), are sometimes shortened, if it's a crappy Square to begin with. All
should be the same length. Let me send some pics of the process. I did a
whole montague of it a few months ago, with my last one done for another
tech. (lucky you.<G> I'll put 2 pics per post
Best, 
Joe


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I
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