S&S D with high strings/low action stack

[David Love]

Shimming the flanges is not that difficult or time consuming.  You only need
to shim the top of the flange.  I use fibreboard which I get from Steinway
(of all places)--it's on their price list.  With a sharp matt knife cut
strips long enough for each section of contiguous flanges.  Make the strip
about 2 mm wide, just enough to slip below the top of the flange.  Remove
all the wippens from each section and then secure the material by screwing
down a flange at each end of each section and then screw on the rest of them
in between.  If the thickness of the fibreboard is not quite enough then
build it out with heavy paper packing tape underneath the fibreboard.  You
can do the whole thing in an hour easily with a battery operated screw
driver.  In addition to getting the jack to align more favorably, you'll
also reduce the action ratio slightly.  Improper spread is a common problem
with Steinway and, fortunately, they seem to be generally on the short side.


David Love
davidlovepianos at comcast.net 
www.davidlovepianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Andrew and Rebeca Anderson
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 6:55 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: S&S D with high strings/low action stack

The jack knuckle angle has the pivot of the jack too far forward 
(towards the pianist) so shimming the whippens out makes sense, until 
I actually have to do it, that is... :-(

At 01:02 PM 10/9/2006, you wrote:
>Hi Dave, Andrew... whomover;
>
>Agreed on the relevancy bit :) It was good for a chuckle tho.  I 
>should know I've done worse ofte times enough.
>
>About the jack/knuckle alignment tho... he didnt give us which way 
>the angle was... but noting the drop screws are all the way up and 
>overstriking.... I'd certainly take a good look at whether or not 
>the stack is too low. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say he probably 
>sees the jack angled inwards and the shanks fairly high off their 
>cushions... assuming he went with 10 mm dip and reasonble amount of 
>aftertouch.  He didnt say but I suppose the let off screws are about 
>as high as they can get as well.
>
>Always hard to say tho with what we have so far.
>
>Cheers
>RicB
>----
>
>Missed that, I guess.  Not really relevant to my comments which still stand
>as far as what to check.  Poor jack/knuckle alignment suggests the spread
is
>off.
>
>I suppose a four year history on the piano will be very telling...you go
RB!
>
>David Love
>davidlovepianos at comcast.net
>www.davidlovepianos.com