Getting OT - swedge

[John Delacour]

At 1:42 PM -0500 12/1/01, BobDavis88@AOL.COM wrote:
>In a message dated 12/01/2001 9:09:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>JD@Pianomaker.co.uk writes:
>
>>  The swaging gives a nice shiny pointed
>>   end to the copper winding.
>
>Is there an actual, hearable advantage to this practice? I've seen swaged and
>unswaged copper in very fine pianos.

No hearable advantage at all!  It's just a selling point and frankly 
I'd rather not be bothered with it.  For many years I did not swage 
the ends and I've only recently started doing it because some pushy 
upstart is claiming an edge by doing it.  When it's done properly, 
it's pretty, and it is a sign that loving care has been lavished. 
The way I break off the copper at the mark is very accurate and 
clean, so really no swaging is needed.  People who work the old hero 
way break off the copper by a sharp tug while the wire is still 
spinning.  If they overshoot, they have to cut off the extra with 
pliers and then clean up the untidy ends.  If you have to do this for 
a few strings, you have to do it for all.  If you undershoot of 
course, you swear if it's half an inch and cough if it's 3/8" and get 
on with the next string.

What DOES make a difference, however, is whipping the bottom ends.

JD