RUBBER MUTES

[Alan Barnard]

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1. KEEP your student tuning lever. It makes a nice back-up for emergencies or to carry in a lightweight pack when you travel, etc., but mostly it is useful because the tip won't unscrew on you if you are trying to back out a very tight pin. It is also handy and light for restringing work.

2. On uprights, I use a regular felt strip in the tenor and a thin felt strip in the treble but only after the last damper. For the dampered treble I use one long stick mute (the kind Pianotek selss) on the right side of the trichord, down low below the top of the damper felt and, on the left side of the trichord I use a long skinny rubber mute without a stick. I think I got it at Schaff. It's about 6 inches long and only about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch wide. This I stick as high as I can up against the V bar and in deeply enough to be snug. The mutes don't interfere with the hammers at all.

I tune the center string, move the right mute to the right of the next higher trichord, tune the right string, move the top mute to the left of that next higher trichord, then tune the left string. Then you are ready to tune the center string of that next note, etc.. When you've finished the treble, you must go back and check/fine tune/crack the notes you tuned with mutes because you don't hear all three strings played together as you are tuning up. 

I would talk to a sight-impaired tuner for tips on placing mutes and not having the piano eat them. When I tune player pianos, I tie my mutes together with a long string so I can fish one out if it drops. Something like that might help.

Good luck, get active in PTG, attend meetings and conferences/conventions, eat your Wheaties, brush your teeth, say your prays, and have fun. When you get discouraged--and you definitely will--just remember that we have ALL been there and are now here for you!

Alan Barnard
Salem, Missouri


----- Original Message ----- 
From: 
To: Pianotech
Sent: 01/02/2006 7:12:01 PM 
Subject: RUBBER MUTES


Hi everyone.  
I must say. I'm enjoying this list as a new tuner.  Susan and everyone else that wrote, thanks for the insight.  When you're vision impaired, any extra sight helps. ;)  Speaking of my sight challanges I have a question. 

What does everyone here do in order to overcome the challange of using rubber mutes in the trebble when tuning unisons?  The stick ones get in the way of the hammers.  I don't want to use a wedge mute fearing that it might get loose and fall down into the piano.  

Speaking of unisons.  An RPT in Chicago taught me the "cracking the unison" method, and I must say, it's much better than using that pain in the rump red felt.  When you're sight impaired that felt gives you headaches.  Do any of you use that method that originated from Virgil Smith?  
Have a great night everyone.  Susan, I'll let you know when my first real tuning lever arrives.  Does anyone want my student lever for fire wood after I receive my real lever?
Marshall
 . 

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: Erwinspiano@aol.com 

   Thanks Phil
  Same to you.
    Sorry for the delay....Holidays & all.   The product brand we use to letter the embossing on the plates after guilding  is" Zig " & it's called Painty twin.  It's black enamel on one end & white on the other.  I'm not sure if it comes in black only.  We got the pen at Michaels art supply.   It says Manufactured by Kuretake Co.LTD.......Japan Or just go on line & see what you can find. The tip appears to be fine point made of felt.
     We have a more difficult time finding rub on numbers & letters decals for serial &  model numbers.  Typically we have found them at graphic supply houses.  Archetects have used them but We haven't bought for a while. sooo dunno.  We  have a procedure to get those on straight but I wont' go there now.
  Lettering the plate with the zig product has become way less tedious & looks professional.  If one makes an error just wipe up with mineral spirits & start over. 
   The decals are rubbed on & then sprayed over with clear spray can lacquer or whatever..  We resort to drawing the string size no.s on with the same pen as the embossing as the tiny no. decals aredifficult & troublesome to handle, being that small.  Hope this helps.
   Dale Erwin
Hi Dale - Happy New Year to you.

You told me about the pen used to trace the letters..I am wondering 
about the method used for the Serial# and Model#. I always struggle with 
this all-important touch of the plate.

Thanks for your advice,

-Phil
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