Thanks muchly Stéphane. As far as I can tell, the highest few notes are origional, and they are marked size 2 (your 0.46) below, my micrometer reads 0.65 tho... and even if I subtract a tad as suggested in the restringing bible, I dont get down that far. Hard to tell for sure whether they are origional or not... the instrument has been fooled with quite a bit, and most of the unwound strings have been replaced. This is a square piano made in the early 1800's for a Danish Company "C.Lose", probably by danish craftsman,,,, but could be german or dutch when it comes down to it, no way of knowing as far as I have been able to discern so far. I suppose in the end I'll have to play a guessing game as you suggest below. Tho the figures you give below may be a good place to start, even tho the table names no half-sizes. Thanks again. RicB I suppose in the end I will have to do as you suggest below, try and see what works best / sounds best. Stéphane Collin wrote: > > Hello Richard. > > Here is a table of diameters for iron strings in use at the end of the 18th century (referred to as Thomée's Nuremberg gauge system by Michael Latcham). > > 9/0 1.10 mm > 8/0 1.06 > 7/0 0.97 > 6/0 0.87 > 5/0 0.83 > 4/0 0.76 > 3/0 0.66 > 2/0 0.60 > 1/0 0.56 > 1 0.51 > 2 0.46 > 3 0.41 > 4 0.37 > 5 0.32 > 6 0.28 > > But you must keep in mind that this was not absolute : on six pianos by Hofmann, at different times, the gauge number 7/0 for example was 1.02 mm in 1784, 1.15 in 1785, 1.05 in 1790, 1.02 in 1795, 0.99 in 1800. > > Also, in those times, a bulk of so called 7/0 wire was not constant of diameter, nor perfectly cylindric. > > Better rule for stringing such old instruments, methinks, is to play the game like they did : try which diameter sounds best at that place, without breaking too soon. > > Regards > > Stéphane Collin > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no> > To: "Newtonburg" <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 4:11 PM > Subject: Square Grand Scaling Question > > | > | Hi folks > | > | > | On this square I am doing there are what appear to be some kind of > | string size numbers, but I havnt run into these before so I thought I'd > | ask. > | > | The highest notes end with 2. an octave or so down comes 1. then we go > | over to 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0. There are a few 1/2 marks inbetween > | all whole sizes. > | > | Does anyone know the wire size these translate into ? > | > | Cheers > | > | RicB > | > | -- > | Richard Brekne > | RPT, N.P.T.F. > | UiB, Bergen, Norway > | mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no > | http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html > | http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html > | _______________________________________________ > | pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > | > | > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives -- Richard Brekne RPT, N.P.T.F. UiB, Bergen, Norway mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html
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