[CAUT] Hamburg leg bolt

[Don Mannino]

Bob,

Sorry I can't offer advice on the bolt replacement - good luck with
that.

My suggestion is a rule that students not move the piano.  I know that
would be difficult or impossible to enforce, but no matter how the piano
and legs are protected, entrusting the move of an expensive piano like
this to students is asking for troubles of once kind or another ("Let's
see how fast we can make it through that doorway!"). I would use this
incident as a catalyst for getting a rule established, and posting a
sign on the back side of the piano stating something like "Any movement
of this piano must be done with the supervision of school faculty /
staff members."  This also implies that the dangers be clearly explained
to any involved faculty.

Another thing to look at is checking the condition of the floor,
especially the joints between the wood and concrete, if any.  If any
repairs can be done to minimize the cracks which the casters hang up in,
that will reduce the risks.

In the Kawai EX (with the same big casters) the legs have 2 bolts, 2
dowels, and extra strong sockets for the bolts to thread into.  Our
bolts are rarely broken by rough treatment, but we have had keybeds get
cracked near the case sides inside, right through the middle of the
almost 2 inch hard maple!  It is amazing the amount of stress the legs
can apply to the piano when it is pushed sideways over a floor crack at
high speed.

I also do not recommend a spider dolly for tonal reasons, plus the fact
that it makes it even easier for students to damage the piano in other
ways.  Perhaps buying the Jansen truck and training people to use it
will help to enforce the rule I mentioned - but with the big casters
still in place, people will tend to simply shove the piano around rather
than going to the trouble of getting the truck and using it.

Good luck.

Don Mannino

-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of
Bob Hull
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 10:33 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: [CAUT] Hamburg leg bolt


Caut List,

The Hamburg D here almost hit the floor as some
students were moving it last week.  The bass leg came
loose but they caught it in time and put a piano bench
and books under it.

I found the bolt that goes in to lock the plate 
turned as if stripped because the inner threads or
sleeve is broken into two pieces. The sleeve material
is soft and thin. Half of it is still in the hole and
the other half came out with the bolt.

I'm checking with a Machine Tool and Supply store to
find a new sleeve and may have to change the bolt as
well.  Do you think the sleeve is in there just as a
force fit? I'm thinking about using epoxy.  I didn't
try to look in the Steinway catalog for this item, not
wanting to  wait to get something from NY or Germany. 


The piano faculty is wondering if the piano would be
safer on a piano truck (spider?) instead of the double
casters.  It is moved quite a bit.  

Does the truck do a poor job of keeping the piano
level since the ends of the truck arms flex downward
under the weight of the piano through the legs?  And
what about the connection of the piano to the floor
for better sound?  If the floor is hardwood on top of
concrete is there any value to being connected
directly versus being on a truck?

I'd appreciate your ideas on the repair and the truck
versus casters question.  

Bob Hull

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