Soundboard stress cracks

Greg & Mary Ellen Newell gnewell@en.com
Tue, 20 Aug 1996 22:46:02 +0000


On Sat, 17 Aug 1996 21:27:53 -0400, Pianocraft@aol.com wrote:=0D=0A=0D=0A=
>David,=0D=0A>=0D=0A>I am dismayed that you have apparently been taken i=
n by this obviously sham=0D=0A>explanation of soundboard failure. There =
must be something in the water up=0D=0A>there in the Vineyard or perhaps=
 you have been losing too much sleep=0D=0A>measuring all those actions, =
but your usually keen rational faculties have=0D=0A>forsaken you here. C=
ome on, raised grain! Those pesky little ridges will some=0D=0A>day, soo=
n, grow up to become soundboard cracks. I=C6ve seen it, you=C6ve seen it=
=0D=0A>and most every one else has seen it. There is no denying that pre=
mature=0D=0A>soundboard failure has been plaguing manufactures and piano=
 rebuilders for=0D=0A>quite some time. The problem has been spotted here=
 in New York, in=0D=0A>Connecticut, in Boston and overseas in the Orient=
.. The only question is why=0D=0A>does it happen? =0D=0A>=0D=0A>Here are =
some clues: when you compress wood more than 1% cell damage will=0D=0A>o=
ccur. The soundboard panel is confined by the case, down bearing and , m=
ost=0D=0A>of all by the ribs. The moisture content of the soundboard pan=
el during the=0D=0A>ribbing process must be carefully considered in rela=
tion to average moisture=0D=0A>content of interior wood work in the area=
 the piano will be living. Other=0D=0A>consideration come into play: hyd=
roscopic properties of adhesives, care in=0D=0A>the panel gluing process=
 and type and thickness of Finish.=0D=0A>=0D=0A>For more information con=
tact me privately, I wrote an article for my=0D=0A>blatantly commercial =
news letter =F4 Hartman's Fine Piano Rebuilding=F6 on this=0D=0A>subject=
.. It is rather long and I don=C6t want to clutter the list with it.=0D=0A=
>=0D=0A>John Hartman=0D=0A>pianocraft@aol.com=0D=0A>=0D=0APlease clutter=
 the list! I think we'd like to see it. I know I would.=0D=0A				Greg=0D=
=0AGreg & Mary Ellen Newell	=0D=0Agnewell@en.com=0D=0Adt945@cleveland.fr=
eenet.edu=0D=0Agnewell@juno.com=0D=0A





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