Anti-friction : A big prize for a small price

[antares]

Holland has a very 'wet' climate. For that reason the holes in the keys are
always way too tight, and sometimes  - extremely - tight.
After widening the holes and applying - any - anti friction, the result is
always dramatic.
For that reason I consider these spots "high friction points", along with
the knuckle/jack (high) friction points.
These are bold statements?
Of course not, here is just another techie 'talking' to colleagues on this
list.
But just to make more clear why I say what I say, I will give an example of
how I come to my conclusions :

After having used anti-lubricants for years, I came to the conclusion that I
was on a wrong course because I used anti-friction stuff all the time
without knowing exactly how much was actually needed and where.
So, one time I tuned a STW grand and the customer complained about the
instrument playing too heavy and difficult.
I then and there decided to do something about my wildly applying lubricants
and I made a chart of all a's and e's on the piano.
I measured precisely the down-weight (over 60 grams and un-measurable
because my weights don 't go any further than 60 grams) and up-weight
(between 30-35 grams!) of all these a's and e's.
Then I took away the action from the keyboard, cleaned all pins and
capstans, applied McLube and eased the balance holes.
I screwed back the action and was - really - shocked by the result.
I put down the results on paper and noticed that already the down weight had
come down by almost 10%.
I then applied CLP on the wippen flange center pins - measured and wrote
down the result.
I then applied CLP on the wippen balancier centers - measured and wrote down
the result.
I then applied CLP on the centers of the jacks - measured and wrote down the
result.
I then applied CLP on the centers of the hammer flanges - measured and wrote
down the result.
I cleaned the repetition springs and sprayed the contact surfaces with
McLube - measured and wrote down the result.
I reregulated the spring tension - measured and wrote down the result.
I regulated the whole action - measured and wrote down the result.

The end result was that I had come down from way over 60 grams to about an
average of 51-52 grams.
As the standard downweight of a Steinway O is 47 grams, I finally applied
McLube on the heavy friction point of jack and knuckle - measured and wrote
down the result.

The end result was a clean 47 grams all over the keyboard.


The customer was in heaven although she mentioned that she had to learn
again to play her instrument.
I charged her for the equivalent of three tunings and had learned a great
deal about the use of lubes and anti-friction articles.

A big prize for a small price

friendly greetings
from

Antares,

Amsterdam, Holland

"where music is, no harm can be"

> From: "Kevin E. Ramsey" <ramsey@extremezone.com>
> Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 19:29:32 -0700
> To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Subject: Re: Protek and Teflon.
> 
> "I therefor use McLube mainly on the key frame pins, on the underside of key
> frame and on the capstans.McLube is quite durable and will remain for a long
> time where as CLP is less slippery and not meant for high friction.
> I gladly use CLP for center pins and for that it is really perfect."
> 
> I wonder if our more scientifically inclined members might ponder the
> frictional co-efficient on a third class lever arm rotating around a center
> point contained by a small pin set in bushing cloth when it receives a strong
> force at an angle greater than it's tangent. Just seems to me that the center
> pin must be a pretty high friction environment. I had to think about it for a
> minute myself.
> God, you'd think I was getting paid to sell this stuff.....................
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kevin  Ramsey
> ramsey@extremezone.com
>