Steinway Style 2 (Modified by Kent Swafford)

[R Moody]

> Since the front end of the plate is rotated down the string plane begins
> to lower. You can see this by looking at how close the strings in the
> tenor area get to the damper guide rail. I have seen ones that are as
> close as 3/16" and they will vibrate against the rail when a forceful
> blow is delivered.

Amazing. Now in Kent's picture showing the tuning pins tilted toward the
bass bridge, is that a result of the plate or pinblock moving? If so how
could this piano ever have held a tuning?   With the pins tilted in the
opposite direction of today I can see how the pin block might have "sunk" or
"rotated" downward.  I can imagine it may now indeed be supported by the
drop screws in which case the action can never  be removed until the strings
and offending pin  block are removed...   ;,(,
How far from the floor is the bottom of the lyre?   Or peering across the
bottom of the key bed from underneath the piano does it seem bowed downward?
; )

This is what I love about pianotech list.  You have access to hundreds of
technicians once in a lifetime experiences.

Richard Moody
    www.pnotec.com

            "An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be
made in a very narrow field."
Niels Bohr (1885-1962), Danish scientific.....from
http://www.pandasoftware.com




----- Original Message ----- 
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 8:02 PM
Subject: Re: Steinway Style 2 (Modified by Kent Swafford)


> Richard,
>
> This sort of 3/4 plate is entirely different from the European ones you
> usually see. The plate stops before the tuning pins, there is no frame
> structure over or behind the tuning pins. In the more familiar later
> American and European type the plates start to crack at the struts were
> they meet the agraffe area. They start at the bottom and travel up. With
> this sort the pin block rotates, pivoting on the plate flange, The
> bottom of the flange looses contact. You usually can put an object about
> 1/16" in the gap. The stresses on the plate are forcing the struts to
> bow upward. They usually start to crack from the top to the bottom. They
> often fail somewhere between the nose bolt and were they end at the
> string rest. Sometimes the nose bolts are pulling out of the framework
> underneath or the framing starts to fail.
>
> To observe the rotation it is useful to place rectangular objects, a
> couple of books for example, on the pin block yoke and observe how much
> it is twisted in the middle. A five to Seven degree angle is typical
> especially on the smaller model.
>
> Since the front end of the plate is rotated down the string plane begins
> to lower. You can see this by looking at how close the strings in the
> tenor area get to the damper guide rail. I have seen ones that are as
> close as 3/16" and they will vibrate against the rail when a forceful
> blow is delivered.
>
> I have some photos of a pin block replacement I did on ones of these
> quite a few years a go. If any one is interest I will place the few
> photos I have in digital form on my web site. I have a more complete set
> of these I have shown at some of my classes.
>
>
> John Hartman RPT
>
> John Hartman Pianos
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
> Rebuilding Steinway and Mason & Hamlin
> Grand Pianos Since 1979
>
> Piano Technicians Journal
> Journal Illustrator/Contributing Editor
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
>
> John Hartman
> The Universal, How-to, Hands-on Illustrator
[link redacted at request of site owner - Jul 25, 2015]
>
>
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