List, I will make another try at the brass rail issue (please forgive the long post): I have a few observations about the brass rail/wood flange issue, and a question about vertical action design. Although not an expert, I have a few observations to make. From what I have seen, brass rail pianos were most often higher quality pianos. Until the molecular structure changed (aging 60-80 years) the brass rail system offered certain advantages over the wood flange system. First, as Dale pointed out, the traveling problem is virtually non-existent. Second, there is no birds- eye problem, since the bushings are in the butt itself, and the pin is held tight in the brass rail. This makes for a strong pinning, potentially better for tone, and better for repinning. Third, and somewhat related to point # 2, there is less effect of RH changes on that portion of the action - the pin will be held tight, when otherwise it might work out. And while the butt is not removable with the action in place, it is easily removed (well...) with the action out of the piano. The choices we have today include: A) keeping the existing system either by 1) heat-treating the rails - a tech in the Great Lakes area did a convention class on this subject which I missed - or 2) brass rail duplication by Schaff (I have done the latter with success - their work was good; I want to do the former someday on the right piano - after I have practiced with my inherited oxy-acetalyne torch on my son's Fiat Spyder fender and my Volvo muffler....). If the old parts are beautiful they will still break easily. You are the best judge of the condition of the old parts. You may use new parts, but make sure you don't have to send them back and make a customer mad waiting for you to finish the job. The PrattWin parts will function fine if you check the milling to be sure of clearance at the brass rail tongue. Buckskin is good, but you will need to repin. They won't look perfect, though.... - or 3) ignoring the problem and continuing to replace butt plates, until the tongues start to break and you wished you never started to work on the piano, or B) Installing wood flange butts, a la Spurlock. Frequently the action rail will accomodate a wood flange replacement, because available parts may place the centerpin, butt buckskin and catcher at the same location as the brass rail system. It is also critical that the butt buckskin have the same contour, and that the jack stop be accomodated successfully - you don't want to put it all together and find out you cannot keep the jack from jamming at the catcher, for example. You may be able to adapt, but to know for sure you should set samples up and actually make notes work acceptably. If I remember right Bill used a Schwander butt to replace a spring rail butt. Chickering actually went back and forth, it seems, and made their rails to easily accomodate either type of system, even making their brass rails look "Schwander" by putting a spring on the butt and a loop on the butt plate.... The only problem I see with my Chickering is the proximity of the screw holes to the top of the rail - overtorquing the butt screws might easily split the rail. Some may think that it is a waste of resources to put all this time and money into a vertical piano, and I also feel this way except when I have completed a Steinway or other fine vertical and it acts and behaves like a fine piano - good repetition, tonal color and range, power, etc (I I don't THINK I feel this way just because I put so much work into it I can't stand thinking anything else....). Obviously Del felt the vertical was worth all the trouble he put into it.... My general question to you all (Del, Newton?) has to do with elementary vertical action design. I think that I have absorbed the principles of coinciding arcs, key ratio, and so on, that underlie the grand piano. I believe that I am much closer to being able to put an action together from scratch for a grand piano - but not a vertical. Can anyone explain elementary vertical action design to a math non-whiz like me? Bill Shull BDShull@aol.com University of Redlands, La Sierra University Loma Linda, CA
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