This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Hello Stephen Am I alowed to ask a kind of stupid question ? How do you measure the crown on the top of the board ? (I am interested) St=E9phane Collin. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Stephen Bellieu=20 To: Pianotech=20 Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 1:00 AM Subject: Re: Bridgetop Extravaganza Revisited Greg, It's definitely quartersawn. I don't think it's a candidate for = recapping for two reasons. The board is dead flat across the bass = bridge and lower tenor bridge (as measured from the top and confirmed on = the bottom). Also I have learned the piano was purchased by the client = new some 16 yrs ago. I have no intention of condemning this piano. It = sounded ok before. Not spectacular bass but I have heard much worse. = I'm anticipating tight new bridge pins are going to contribute to tonal = improvement up higher. I'm wondering about the bearing in the bottom of the piano. How = it was originally set. Strung it showed a full 1.5 deg across the bass = bridge and almost nothing on the bottom two feet of the tenor = bridge.(also no front bearing in both of these locations) Is this what = flattened out the tail ? If I relieve some of the bearing across the = bass bridge will this improve the situation? I'm used to seeing older = pianos with little bearing on the bass bridge. Opinions? Steve Bellieu P.S. Thanks for all the welcomes. I know some of you and recognize = lots of other names from Journal articles and tips. ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Greg Newell=20 To: Pianotech=20 Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 12:32 PM Subject: Re: Bridgetop Extravaganza Revisited Steve, Now that you've decided to pull the plate I would strongly = recommend simply recapping the bridge with quarter sawn material unlike = the flat sawn junk you'll be removing. I' ve never seen quarter sawn = material dented as badly as you describe, even by well meaning newbies = with a hammer and screwdriver. A couple runners on the router and skin = off the old cap. Put on a quarter sawn cap of good solid material. Re - = drill, notch and restring. I'll lay odds you'll be greatly pleased with = the result!!! Greg Newell P.S. Welcome to the list!!! At 05:13 AM 12/18/2002, you wrote: Hi All, =20 Just joined, first post to this or any other group. = Serendipitous timing, just read all the recent bridgetop/ bridgepin = posts. Have a 1985 Stwy D in the shop for action overhaul and restring. = I thought I was noticeing something funny about the bridges but was in = denial until I started taking all the teardown notes. The plain wire = strings have been pounded (seated) into the bridge so that at the edges = there is more wire diameter below the bridge top than above it. When = viewed from the side the wire makes a pronounced curve up onto the = bridge and down again out the rear making accurate component readings = impossible to do from on top of the wire. It was showing negative front = bearing until I realized what was happening and started using the actual = bridgetop as reference. Situation is most severe at capo sections and = diminishes down to what looks like normal grooves to me under the bass = strings. Deflection in strung piano is .5 deg at bottom of low capo, = 1-1.5 deg rest of capo sweeping up to 2.5 deg at note 88. There is = .250" crown at low capo. (measured from top of board) =20 Is it possible this condition is due to the quality of the = capping material? I usually work on much older instruments. I have = never seen string cuts like this. Also the various pressures have = caused dead wood to swell up and check here and there around the = terminations. Again I'm not used to seeing this. Inspection of the = pins under magnification shows the string resided in two distinct = locations. My theory: Pre- and Post Pounding. There are also a lot = of unexplainable nicks on the side of the pins. The pins pull out = easily. No cracks to speak of. This is an institutional piano which = has probably been in Southern California its whole life. What I'm thinking about doing is similar to what Dale Erwin = just posted. I've never done the epoxy bridge thing but I'm familiar = with the nasty stuff. I'm imagining thickening it enough with colloidal = silica so it won't run down the notches or too much into the holes and = applying it with a small spatula. I want to fill those deep grooves (at = least on the speaking side) and then sand the top flat. If I put the = stuff on in the morning can I pare/renotch and redrill at the end of the = day before it gets too hard and while I can still find the original = holes?=20 Looking forward to peoples responses. =20 I want to stop using the misnomer "string seating" in favor of = wire straightening (or something similar) which is what I do at a low = lateral angle (around the bridges anyway). I have never been convinced = of the need of downward tapping pressure at the bridges. For some = reason this is one of the first things new technicians are taught and = the thought of them going around with little hammers and pounding on = pianos scares me. We straighten wire for control of damper and hammer = contact and for quick stabilization of new strings. Perhaps having the = wire come straight out of the bridge helps the string to vibrate in a = more perpendicular plane even. I don't really know. After you take a = few pianos apart you find that even in a negative bearing situation the = angled pins hold the string tight to the bridge. If there is so much = negative bearing that they don't then no amount of pounding will hold = them there. But I guess that is another thread. Right now I need help = getting out of this mess. I have finally accepted I have to pull the = plate. So much for the quick restring of a fairly new instrument. =20 =20 Thanks, Steve Bellieu --- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.427 / Virus Database: 240 - Release Date: 12/6/2002 Greg Newell mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- --- Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). 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