More on hearing protection

[John M. Formsma]

Marshall,

 

You're trying to make this harder than it needs to be. ;-)

 

Just use a plain hammer shank like you get from a supplier (or an old one
would work). Gently press on the string somewhere in the speaking length.
That's all there is to it. Again, the idea is to get deflection like you
would from a hard blow, only you're doing it with the shank and not with a
hard blow.

 

Obviously, common sense would dictate that you wouldn't do this right next
to the agraffe or bridge pins. You want to do it where you get some movement
fairly easily.

 

John Formsma

 

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From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of pianotune05 at comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 11:19 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: RE: More on hearing protection

 

Hi John,

I don't know. I'm not old yet. ;) I'm still a teen ager, age 40. going on
41.:) LOL 

 

Do you place the shank just above and below the bridge pin as one does to
level the string?  Does the hammer shank need to have a point or can I take
an old hammer from an action and take the top off and use the flat smooth
end of the shank?  Thanks again.

Marshall

 

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: "John M. Formsma" <john at formsmapiano.com> 

Marshall,

 

Yes, so to speak. Gentle pressure, not a jab. You just want to see if the
string moves (i.e., pitch changes), which is the purpose of a hard blow.
However, the shank can deflect more than a test blow will; hence the
effectiveness. Not that you need to be moving the string very far, but it's
more effective than smacking the heck out of the string without the damaging
and/or painful effects of a hard blow. In other words, you'll get more
deflection with the shank than a hard blow.

 

Funny on me. After I posted this, I started thinking, hmmm.seems like this
has come up on the list before. So I did a search, and found that yours
truly mentioned this back in November 1999. Aaggh! How embarrasking! I
remember the class now.my first convention, Steinway all-day, John Patton
session. I'm only 35, so I can't claim this as a senior moment. Is this what
it's like when you get old???  ;-)

 

John Formsma 

 


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From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of pianotune05
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 9:19 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: More on hearing protection

 

Hi John,

What do you mean by deflect the string?  What do you actually do to the
string. I'm trying to visualize this.  Are we poking the string with a
hammer shank?  

Marshall

----- Original Message ----- 

From: John M. <mailto:john at formsmapiano.com>  Formsma 

To: 'Pianotech List' <mailto:pianotech at ptg.org>  

Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:25 PM

Subject: RE: More on hearing protection

 

Geoff,

 

I just learned a new thing to allow one to tune a piano at pianissimo
levels. *(Courtesy of Leonard Gustafson, RPT, of the Memphis PTG chapter,
who picked it up from a Steinway tech doing a technical at one of our
chapter meetings.)

 

Anyway, you use a vertical hammer shank (or something similar) to slightly
deflect the string after it's tuned. The idea is that a hard test blow will
show any string movement (from deflection by the hammer). A deflection by a
hammer shank will also do this, but at a greater level than the severest
test blow ever could. I used this yesterday on the four pianos I tuned (2
verts & 2 grands), and it worked very well, although it's slow at first b/c
it's a new skill. I gave one string ten whacks as hard as I could, and
nothing moved in the slightest. I also did a few hard blows in various
sections to ensure that it works everywhere. I'm very glad to know of this
as my playing/test blow elbow has been sore lately.

 

The only downside I can see is that it might take a bit longer at first.
(Leonard tunes in 45min to 1 hour, so it hasn't slowed him down.) The
positives are that we won't have hearing loss from hard test blows, and body
damage is also greatly reduced. I'll gladly trade test blows for a few more
years of hearing and less pain.

 

John Formsma

 

 


  _____  


From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Geoff Sykes
Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 2:00 AM
To: Pianotech at Ptg. Org
Subject: More on hearing protection

 

With the "Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Part 2" article in the Q&A section of
The Journal, I'd like to hear from some fellow tech's who have tried the Zem
earplugs, by Sensgard. They're ugly, but the technology is such a different
approach than just a simple "plug" that perhaps they could be very useful. I
have been using 32db foam Hearos, but I find that while the foam is
comfortable I get a lot of attenuation variation from one set to the next,
and they're not that flat in response. I also have a pair of Etymotic High
Fidelity Earplugs, (identical to the Hearos High Fidelity Ear Filters),
which work great. My only complaints are that they're not that long term
comfortable ! and tha t since the frequency response is much flatter, the
attenuation, (rated at 20db), is perhaps a little too much. Zem claims 32db
reduction. 

 

-- Geoff Sykes

-- Assoc. Los Angeles

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