A Test Question

[Randy Potter]

Warren Fisher asks:
>You are tuning for a regular customer whose piano is medium to good and
>you are about half way through and are rushing to avoid being late to a
>dental appointment afterwards when you discover several hammers warped
>enough by humidity or whatever to be missing one of the strings.
>Do you:
>1. Ignore the situation?  If not, why not?
>2. Tune the unstruck string, and if so how?
>3. Align the hammer, and if so is this enough?
>4. Twist the shank.  Is this all that needs to be done?
>5. Travel the hammer.  How is this different from Aligning?
>6. Reshape the hammer.  Why would this be necessary?
>7. Throw up your hands in frustration.  (My choice for a lot of
>situations)
>8. All of the above?
>9. Choose your own numbers or add some.

10. First, I look at it, and see that when I do properly align the hammer
where it belongs, the string grooves will line up properly - or that the
strings can be re-spaced when I am done so they line up to the grooves.
If they do not line up properly, the hammer will shift when it hits the
strings, and either the hammer will wear improperly, or the action center
will become wobbly - or both.

11. Second, I slip an action screwdriver in the combination handle and
tighten the butt flange screw, to see that it is not loose. Maybe it was
always crooked, and when the flange became loose it moved over a little.
Then check the action center to make sure the butt does not wobble side
to side.

3/4. Since I carry a BIC lighter in my tuning kit, next I "flick my BIC"
and "burn in the shank".

Meaning I hold the hammer head slightly twisted in the correct direction,
light the BIC, run the flame up and down the shank a few times (being
careful not to burn myself or light up the felt hammer) while holding the
hammer head slightly "over"-twisted in the direction I want it to shift,
shut off the flame, hold it for another 60 seconds, then slowly release
the head and see that as it un-twists partially back it remains at about
where I want it. (The heat from the lighter softens the lignon, the
juice, in the wood. This allows the the shank, which is like a very
sophisticated bundle of soft drink straws held together, to be twisted,
and when the lignon cools and hardens it holds the shank in that
position.)

6. Shaping the hammer is not necessary. If the hammer was only out of
position for a short time (you said this was a "regular customer whose
piano is in medium to good (condition)", this shifted sometime since the
last visit, between 6-12 months ago. It has not developed and extra set
of grooves in that amount of time, so should not need shaping.

2. Tuning the unstruct string should also not be necessary, since I
arrived at the house with the necessary tools in my #1 tuning kit, and
since this is a quick and easy repair which does not even require me to
go out to my van to get additional tools.
However, there may be some unknown (to us here) reason that the repair
cannot be quickly and effectively done (hopefully not because the tuner
was untrained, unable or unprepared - but we have all "been there, done
that" and we all "got the t-shirt". Sooo, how to tune that unstruck
string . . . I have two favorite ways:
One, by plucking. I generally use the middle finger, because it is long
and has a strong fingernail. If you have a tuning device you should be
able to see the difference, even if it is slight, between the center and
unstruck strings. If you are tuning aurally it can still be done easily,
and is not difficult since I will also be using the second method,
playing the key.
If you do pluck the string to tune, you still must to the second way, but
playing the key, to be sure it is set properly.
Two, I play the key and listen to the hammer strike the "unstruck"
string. Whether or not you pluck it, you still need to hit the string
firmly, to assure yourself that it is "settled" and will remain in tune.
How do we do this? Easy.
I take a rubber wedge stick mute, with a wire handle, and hold on to the
rubber wedge part with the wire sticking in at the side of the hammer
shank about half way between the butt and the head. Then I play the key.
The shank runs up the side of the wire, slightly deflecting the hammer so
it strikes the (normally) unstruck string. By hitting it a few times, I
can hear first if it is in tune, and second if it stays there after a few
hits. If not, I tune some more.

13. I discuss with my client that this has happened on a couple notes,
and show her, usually at the time I find it and before I fix it, so it is
not a surprise to them when I give them the bill.
(No, I do not usually do such things for "free". There is no "free".
There are things I include as part of my regular service, such as
inspecting the piano, tightening pinblock and plate bolts, regulating the
pedals and cleaning enough of the dirt and dust away that I don't pollute
my lungs. But even these are not "free" - they are part of the service my
client is paying me to provide. Since this item falls under the category
of "repairs", I charge an extra fee for it.
Do I charge an extra fee even if it only takes me a few minutes? Answer
the following:
Did the store give me the lighter for free because I was going to use it
to do "free" work for people?
Was the course I took learn my profession "free", because I might do
"free" work for people?
When the end of the month comes, does the mortgage company, GM, the phone
company, the electric company, the grocery store, the gas station, the
auto repair dealership give me "free" food, or gas, or repairs, or
discount my mortgage payment because I did "free" work for people?
Can I tell the college that my daughter and son ought to get to attend
for free, or at a lower price, because I did "free" work for people?
Now, having answered those questions, answer this one: Do you think I do
work for people for "free"?
Right, the answer is "no".
But, of course, this is America, and you can do all the "free" work you
want. Help yourself!

14. Now, having pointed out to my client that because of humidity changes
in the piano's environment (you said "humidity or whatever" in your case
scenario), these changes are happening to their piano. It is best for the
instrument, both for the tuning stability and for the stability and
longevity of the action and case, to have as stable an environment as
possible. If we have hammer shanks twisting because of the changes in
humidity, how do you think this same humidity is affecting the rest of
the piano? The same humidity that twisted this shank also attacked every
other piece of wood in this piano. And every glue joint. The average
piano has between 10,000-14,000 parts, most of them are wood, and there
are about nine different types of wood in the average piano. All react
differently from one another, because they are of varying densities and
qualities. In fact, we have 88 hammer shanks, but only x number were
twisted right here, showing us that even individual parts that are all
"the same" do not react exactly the same under changing conditions.
My recommendation is that we install a Dampp-Chaser Humidity Control
System inside the instrument, which will keep the piano at a constant 42%
relative humidity, day in and day out, which is what the piano was
designed for.
I give them a little colored Dampp-Chaser brochure (called PLS), which I
get for free by calling Dampp-Chaser (toll free at 800-438-1524), or out
of the systems I install.
Then I set an appointment to put it in, probably sometime next week
because, (per the case scenario you outlined) I am on the way to the
dentist just now. Or, if they want to talk it over with their spouse, I
call them back in a week or so.

Then, I head out to the dentist and open wide.

Randy Potter, R.P.T.




Randy Potter, R.P.T.
Randy Potter School of Piano Technology
"Training Competent Piano Technicians Into the 21st Century"
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