Ah well. To each his own. I do tend to be afflicted with an obsession with flashlights. One of the things that has changed In the time I have been servicing pianos is the quality of the available battery-powered light sources. I have owned dozens over the years; most were worthless. Flashlights are better than they used to be; this is a good thing. The best light for tuning is indirect daylight coming in through large windows. Artificial room lighting is never designed to shine into a piano, and for some reason, the lights that customers offer to provide always seem to end up shining directly into my eyes. Ugh. For tuning, the Petzl Zipka lights the strings behind the high-treble hammers of verticals enough to work rubber mutes into the right places. It lights wherever I point my head. Cool. OK, I look ridiculous with the thing on, and it leaves marks in my forehead after I take it off. Hey, life is about tradeoffs. :) Headlamps do seem to assume that you want to look downward, so the Zipka works poorly for lighting back action/damper work where you need to look straight into the action box of a grand. But I have a different LED light for that. :) The Photon Fusion is pricey, but is just the thing for lighting a grand action box: http://www.glowbug.com/product.php?sku=117# or http://tinyurl.com/r7yu Photo at: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/files/attachments/4b/3f/7a/0e/ pastedGraphic1.tiff or http://tinyurl.com/r7z8 Kent Swafford On Thursday, October 16, 2003, at 03:02 PM, Clyde Hollinger wrote: > Well, Dave, yours is the first response that is not wholeheartedly > positive about Petzl Zipka. I'm glad I'm not all alone. I bought one > the last time it was recommended on this list, something like $40-$50 > for the little plastic wonder. But I guess I just personally need > more light than it gives, plus, although this is no reflection on the > light itself, I dislike wearing anything strapped to my forehead. > Maybe my expectations were just a little too high, but I haven't found > it all that helpful and rarely use it. > > Regards, > Clyde > > Dave Nereson wrote: > >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Kent Swafford" <kswafford@earthlink.net> >> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> >> Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 7:18 AM >> Subject: Petzl Zipka; was nursing home blues >> >>> On Wednesday, October 15, 2003, at 06:39 AM, J Patrick Draine wrote: >>> >>>> And the only illumination for that half of the room is the piano >>>> lamp >>>> which gets put on the floor as we open up the piano. Other than >>>> urging >>>> the owner to scrounge up a floor lamp, or pulling a lame clip on >>>> utility lamp out of the car, I'm wondering what the rest of you do. >>> >>> I have mentioned the Petzel Zipka LED headlamp before. Still highly >>> recommended. Lets one tune in (otherwise) complete darkness. About >>> the >>> size of a golf ball, so easily carried in case. Don't leave home >>> without one. I currently have 4 of them, which I hope will be a >>> lifetime supply. >>> >>> Kent Swafford >> >> Whatsa matter with the clip-on work light? I don't think it's >> lame. That's what they're for. It's nice and bright -- great for >> aligning spinet hammers to the strings. Clip it onto the rail the >> action sits on and aim it in toward the flanges. Better than groping >> and guessing. You don't have to hold it. Batteries don't run down. >> I also have a Petzl, but the light is a little on the "dim and >> blue" side compared to my MagLite. Yes, the batteries are new. When >> it's on my forehead, though, the angle isn't right for finding the >> hammer flange screw. It casts shadows rather than illuminating what >> I'm trying to see. The light really needs to be coming from the >> direction of the hand holding the screwdriver, not down from the >> forehead. But for positioning hammer butt springs, damper lever >> springs, fishing stuff out of the action, regulating dampers -- >> anything where you're looking down into the action, it's fine. And >> for working down under the keybed on trapwork, verticals or grands. >> --David Nereson, RPT >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > _______________________________________________ Files list info: http://ptg.org/mailman/listinfo/files
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