Cracked plate

[Farrell]

Could you please clarify "...rocked on the pillar bolts 3 turns down and the
plate is flat...". Do you mean that you unscrewed the plate from the rim and
pinblock and it bowed up around the edges such that the plate rested on the
nose bolts - and the amount of bowing up around the perimeter was about 3
turns of the perimeter screws? Am I understanding this correctly? And then
you go further to suggest that this imbalance should be returned to the
system upon plate re-installation? Have others observed this? Thanks.

Terry Farrell

----- Original Message -----
From: "Barrie Heaton" <piano@a440.co.uk>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2001 5:36 PM
Subject: Re: Cracked plate


In message <a05100316b83fefedc0c8@[195.147.232.123]>, John Delacour
<JD@Pianomaker.co.uk> writes
>
>I once had a B (which ought to have been all right) and which had no
>cracks.  When I unscrewed the rim screws, that plate lifted off the
>seating at the toe a full three inches if not more (it's an experience I
try
>to forget!).  When we refitted the plate, we had to modify the seating in
>order to get it to lie flat.

I have found that all the virgin Bec's I have done, rocked on the pillar
bolts 3 turns down and the plate is flat, but then you must put the 3
turns back when all the other bolts are in place (it tests your bottle),
1#  this puts the frame bars in  tension, most Bec's i have seen with
major cracks that I have destrung did not rock when you removed the
frame, However, i have had reports of frames having cracks on virgin
plates but not very bad.   My next but one project is a Becky with
cracks in the bars and running from the agraffe, which you can pass a
playing card most of the way up the crack.     A bit of pub trivia;  not
all Bechsteins were made in Germany some were made in the UK by
Hopkinnson and Rogers.


1# this is my pet theory, when I was at Hunts we tested this out,  a
fire damaged grand came in with 3 nice cracks.  with the piano up to
pitch  a spanner and a very long piece of rope we turned the bolts and
the cracks did  closed a bit.

--
Barrie Heaton      PGP key on request           http://www.a440.co.uk/
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