Rendering, an explanation...

[BDeTar@AOL.COM]

First of all, What's up GraJimdoo!!!  How the heck are you? (private e' 
address below)

I've not seen the entire thread on this subject, so please excuse any 
redundant redundancy!  This is a bit lengthy, but I added some explanation 
after the initial "dissertation".

I too have run into, and solved for myself, the "ticking" string phenomenon.  
In my case, the causes came from 3 sources (with a twist):

1.  Irregular hole in the agraffe;
2.  Rust on the string;
3.  Roslau 'Nickel Plated' strings

ALL were successfully remedied by the following:

1.  Irregular hole in the agraffe
This causes the string to "hang up" until the tension change was adequate  to 
overcome the additional friction, hence, the 'tic'.  SOLUTION:  Remove the 
string from the agraffe, remove the agraffe and, using a modified # 7 center 
drill, ream the agraffe from BOTH sides.  Replace with new strings, tune, 
seat and level strings, tune again, collect fee.

2.  Rusty wire
Pretty much the same as above.  The only difference, is that the rust can be 
pretty brutal on the agraffe.  This mandates reaming or replacing (and 
reaming the new) agraffe.

3.  Roslau 'Nickel Plated' wire
I found this to be kind of hit or miss until I reamed the agraffes.  This one 
was a hard lesson that really drove home the value of reaming agraffes.  
Using new agraffes, I restrung the Steinway "A" with (then newly available to 
the industry) Roslau Nickel Plated wire.  It looked beautiful but, alas, 
clicked and groaned through most of the agraffes.  Although the noise was 
present in the bass as well, (I hoped that if I ignored it, it would 
eventually get bored and go away!) I assumed it was the nickel plating that 
must be generating the noise.  After restringing the entire treble section 
with new, unplated wire, the noise still remained throughout most of the 
piano.  After much soul searching and discussion with colleagues (that's why 
we belong to PTG!), I removed all the strings, removed the agraffes, REAMED 
all the agraffes, reinstalled, restrung and listened.  The clicks and groans 
were gone!

Here's the "twist".  If you haven't noticed yet, the common thread here is 
REAMING THE AGRAFFE!  There is an additional benefit as well.  By reaming 
agraffes (and dressing the "V" bar), you typically eliminate that 'zing' or 
'sizzle' sometimes heard when a note is played aggressively.  You'll also 
note that after reaming, your strings are all at the same height!

Now for the "WHY".
First, remember that agraffes are made from brass.  And what is brass?

Brass (alloy), alloy of copper and zinc. Harder than copper, it is ductile 
and can be hammered into thin leaves. Formerly any alloy of copper, 
especially one with tin, was called brass, and it is probable that the 
"brass" of ancient times was of copper and tin (see Bronze). The modern alloy 
came into use about the 16th century.
The malleability of brass varies with its composition and temperature and 
with the presence of foreign metals, even in minute quantities. Some kinds of 
brass are malleable only when cold, others only when hot, and some are not 
malleable at any temperature. ("Brass (alloy)," Microsoft® Encarta® 98 
Encyclopedia. © 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.)

Harder than we may think, a brass agraffe can have minute roughness that can 
"catch" on wire irregularities as it passes through the hole.  When we ream 
each agraffe, we remove the roughness as well as ensuring the consistency in 
size and roundness of each hole.  As an aside about the use of abrasive cord, 
this didn't seem to do the trick for me.  My rationale behind my lack of 
consistent success, was the grit size.  No matter how fine, you would not 
polish the inside of the hole.  Only reaming accomplishes that.  Think of the 
comparison of sanding a piece of wood versus planing a piece of wood.  The 
planed wood is far smoother than the same piece sanded, regardless of how 
fine a grit of sandpaper you use.

A note about the use of plated wire.  Remember that there is a natural 
lubricating effect between brass and steel.  Nickel is commonly alloyed with 
copper, brass is alloyed with tin.  It's possible to run into a situation 
where the brass used for the agraffe has a bit more tin than usual and maybe 
the nickel has a bit more copper than usual.  The tin and copper do not have 
the same lubricating properties as when using plain steel wire.  The result, 
increased potential for noise.  No recommendations there, only observations.

So, the lesson here is:  ALWAYS REAM THE AGRAFFE, especially when brand new.  
Ah, yes, I can hear the mumblings (albeit whispered...) "Why doesn't the 
manufacturer... I won't go there, so, in the words of The Great Nike:  "Just 
do it"!  Let me know (I'm SURE you will!!) what you find!!!

Have fun,

Brian De Tar, RPT
Portland, OR
BDeTar@aol.com
			"NO OBSTACLES...ONLY OPPORTUNITIES"