I read with interest your explaination of grand action building
philosophy, and working for a Baldwin dealer in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada, I've seen and measured some of the actions and ratios that you
described.
A few comments I have to make regarding field tech work...
Moving capstans, knuckles and wippen rails in grand actions are not jobs
to be undertaken lightly, that is, in a customer's home, with the
expectation that the perfect action measurements can be achieved. That
much is pretty well common knowledge (as it makes for a very long day)
This does not mean that they should not be examined at all, however. A
technician can quickly spot whether the capstans are centered under the
wippen cushions, just where the jacks are placed at rest under the
knuckle, and to what degree they are perpendicular to the hammer shanks.
A great deal of heaviness and sluggishness can be eliminated through
ensuring that these measurements are consistent, before more conventional
techniques of regulation and key weighting are considered.
As Frank Emerson pointed out, stick to the manufacturer's specifications
regarding action geometry measurements, but if you find that these
measurements (action spread, capstan centering, knuckle placement on the
shank) are at best, inconsistent, or at worst, interfering with
regulation and playing, see if the action could be modified (moveable
rails, for example) and discuss the possibility with other technicians.
One of these situations arose, and with the help of the technicians at
the Banff Center in Alberta, Canada, we were able to make subtle but
significant changes to the balance weight without moving 1 gram of lead,
and the result improved the regulation dramatically.
Replies, rebuttals, stories and
enquiries welcome!
Rob Kiddell
Edmonton, Alberta Canada.
kiddell@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
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