[CAUT] Wire gauge question

[David Ilvedson]

Metric...European pianos are the same...I posted an email, to no response, about changing a string in the tenor on a Hamburg D.   Hamburgs use Roseau piano wire, so I bought 17.5 and 18 sizes from Schaff.  The string in question shared 2 unisons.  Piano said 18.   My micrometer said 17.5   My Schaff Roseau wire said 18 and was 18(American).   I used the American labeled Schaff 17.5 Roseau wire where the piano said 18, of course.   Why wouldn't the Roseau wire be labeled as 18 metric?   You have to always mic the wire...

David Ilvedson, RPT
Pacifica, CA  94044

----- Original message ----------------------------------------
From: "Zeno Wood" <zeno.wood at gmail.com>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut at ptg.org>
Received: 1/29/2009 7:14:02 AM
Subject: [CAUT] Wire gauge question


>Ok, what's going on here?  Would a Yamaha CFIII be using a different
>system of wire gauge?  It says 14 or 14.5 on the bridge, but it
>measures more like .032" which is 13.5 - is this metric?  If so, whose
>idea was it to make metric and "normal" so close to each other?

>Thanks,
>scratchin' my head...