[CAUT] Case of the mysteriously breaking treble strings

[Jeff Olson]

Scott T.:

"How about incorrect plate or bridge position or some shift of some kind
causing the speaking length to be too long?"

I think that's pretty much right...the "Bonus Points" are hanging in the
balance (I suppose I should've offered more than 20, considering the price
of gas, but I tend to be kind of cheap that way).

Everyone who guessed excessive length was right -- that was the fundamental
problem, insofar as I can see.  *something* was shifting as I brought the
strings to tension, causing them to go flat; when I tried to continue
raising it to pitch, they predictably broke -- right at the weakest link,
the coil (which was the obvious clue that it wasn't from a hangup elsewhere,
but rather from an overall excessive tension problem).

JeffO

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott E Thile" <scott.thile@murraystate.edu>
To: "'College and University Technicians'" <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 7:11 AM
Subject: RE: [CAUT] Case of the mysteriously breaking treble strings


> How about incorrect plate or bridge position or some shift of some kind
> causing the speaking length to be too long?
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] On
>> Behalf Of Conrad Hoffsommer
>> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 7:24 AM
>> To: College and University Technicians
>> Subject: RE: [CAUT] Case of the mysteriously breaking treble strings
>>
>> JeffO,
>>
>> You didn't say _where_ they broke, did you?
>>
>> Were the pins driven so far that the string rode up and over
>> the lowest coil and broke at that point?
>>
>>
>>
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: Jeff Olson [mailto:jlolson@cal.net]
>> >Sent: 04 October 2005 22:44
>> >To: College and University Technicians
>> >Subject: [CAUT] Case of the mysteriously breaking treble strings
>> >
>> >Speaking of UFOs, I was having trouble identifying the cause for a
>> >stubbornly breaking treble string in the high treble of an
>> older upright.
>> >
>> >It began with one string that broke twice.  The first time,
>> I assumed I'd
>> >nicked it or something installation.  The second time, I
>> wondered if it was
>> >hanging up on something.  But I'd cleaned and polished the
>> pressure bar, and
>> >I didn't spot anything abrasive on the bridge or harp.
>> >
>> >Then, as I started chipping the piano to pitch, several more
>> strings broke
>> >in the high treble (#13).  I decided to measure the wire,
>> though it was
>> >coming fresh out of a new packet (Roslau), and was surprised that the
>> >labeled 13 was actually 13 1/2.  That seemed odd, but not
>> likely to explain
>> >the breakage.  In any case, I switched to 13 -- actually
>> micced it this
>> >time -- and the strings still broke.
>> >
>> >Then, finally, I figured it out.  Any ideas about what the
>> "mystery cause"
>> >was?
>> >
>> >Best,
>> >
>> >JeffO
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> Conrad Hoffsommer
>> I tried to get a life once, but they were all out of stock.
>>
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