Feeling the Hammers/Richard Brekne

[Kdivad@AOL.COM]

In a message dated Wed, 17 Jul 2002 00:44:11 +0200, Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no writes:

> 
> 
> Hey there Dave;
> 
> I tried a couple more things this evening on a grand action
> I have at home. I got my son and wife to help me out. I took
> a note (F4 I think) and just swung the hammer up so that it
> was standing straight up. No possible connection between the
> jack and knuckle there :) . Then I got my wife and son each
> to press down on that key while I tapped the hammer on the
> shoulder felt with a little wooden drum hammer we have and
> asked them to describe what if anything they felt. I had a
> vacum cleaner going full blast and the stereo on so it was
> really hard to hear anything but that, and I had them
> looking away. Both wife and son could easily tell me when I
> tapped the hammer and when I didnt. Both had a much more
> difficult time of it when I pushed down the repetition
> lever. And both described what they felt as a (and get this
> Andre') "tingling" sensation. Neither had any coaching from
> me, and they both did this little experiment totally
> independant of one another, not talking about it at all with
> each other. 
> 
> I also had my son hold a peice of wood up in the way of the
> hammer travel so that it would hit that at about 45 degrees
> past where it would normally hit the strings... to see if I
> could be sure of seperating the feel of the hammer hiting
> the wood and checking. Quite a delay between the two this
> way... and I have no doubt about it.... You feel the hammer
> hitting regardless of the fact the jack is not in contact
> with the knuckle.
> 
> Still... a nice peice of real science with some decent
> measuring equipment would be the thing to really show whats
> what.
> 
> RicB
> 
> 
> Kdivad@AOL.COM wrote:
> > 
> > Ric, I also believe you can feel the hammer hit the string though perhaps the impact being transfered indirectly down the shank into the hammer rail with balancier spring tension connecting the balancier to the hammer rail and the capstan. Also perhaps very minimally through the hammer rail to 
> brackets to keyframe to key.
> > 
> > More experiments?
> > 
> > David Koelzer
> > Vintage Pianos
> > 214-549-3872
> > DFW


That sounds like another indication that the energy is being transferred through the line I described, did you disconnect the contact between the balancier and the drop screw when you pushed down on the repetition?  

David Koelzer
Vintage Pianos
DFW