S&S D with high strings/low action stack

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

Dave,
t 09:38 PM 10/11/2006, you wrote:
>You can see for yourself that the hammers are bored too short given the
>specs you gave.  It seems that the plate is a too high.  The standard

I looked at the hammers and decided I wouldn't want to bore them that 
much higher.  Either we raise the whole keyframe and action or we 
lower the plate and string plane.  I have another D where a tech 
bored S&S hammers to fix the problem and now I have to deal with the 
capsizing and checking problems.  The tails are way to short and the 
action is still quite extended above the cushions and capsizes too easily.

Your recommendation of custom hammers is probably the way to 
go.  Course I'll have to be careful pulling the action or pushing it in.

Sounds like the spread is where it should be.  The action is just too 
extended to have a good knuckle-jack line.

I'll have to talk to Steinway and see where they stand on this.

Andrew Anderson

>factory bore for those hammers is 2 3/16" in the bass and 1 15/16" in the
>treble.  On your piano they would need to be longer than that (2 5/16" in
>the bass and ranging from 2 1/4 to 2 1/8 in the tenor/treble depending on
>the section.  Yours are shorter than the factory bore specs.
>
>Your hammers are indeed overcentering.  If you were to replace the hammers
>and use NY Steinway hammers, boring them to that length you would have a
>problem with too short tail length unless you extended them.  How the rest
>of the action is setting up you will have to check, but I would guess that
>the geometry is not exactly optimized.  Since the piano is 4 years old you
>have only 1 year left on the warranty so I would start there though I would
>be conservative in my expectations and be prepared for suggesting a better
>alternative than might be offered.  You might be better just putting on a
>different hammer where the molding length is appropriate for the bore.
>Maybe Abel Selects (Pianotek--not a bad choice for that piano btw) or Renner
>Blues.  I would not start shimming the keybed or the stack, for that matter.
>It's just too far to go.  (BTW, the spread should be 4 3/8 for NY parts and
>4 7/16" for Renner--I'm pretty sure).
>
>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: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 6:21 PM
>To: Pianotech List
>Subject: Re: S&S D with high strings/low action stack
>
>Listees,
>Here are the numbers I obtained from the D in question this morning:
>         keys to fall-board felt 5/32 each end 1/8 in the middle
>         action spread (whippen flange pin to hammer flange pin) wrote 4&3/8"
>                 (remember 4&3/4" will have to check that again if the other
>is crazy)
>         Hammer Bore: is that from the top of felt to center of hammer shank?
>         Bottom of bass 2&1/8"   top of first & second tenor break 1&7/8" ,
>top
>of first treble break 1&13/16" top 1&3/4"
>         string height above key-bed same places as hammer measurements
>         8&1/16"  --  7&7/8"  --  8"  --  7&15/16"  --  7&7/8"
>         hammer flange pin height off of key-bed (measured on floor with back
>
>end of key-frame down to the floor) 5&3/4"
>         drop screws (back out fully up) to stretcher/pinblock 3/16"
>
>It looks like the hammers are overstriking approx. 3/16"  to 3/8" of
>an inch.  After looking at the treble hammers I'd say they have been
>filed before I polished them with high grit.
>
>So, would 3/4" wide veneer strips to 1/8" thick under the front and
>back rails of the keyframe be too radical?  Perhaps another 1/16"
>shimming the action stack braclets?
>
>Andrew Anderson
>
>BTW regarding my voicing question.  It helps to regulate before
>voicing.  You discover and fix loose pinning and now I can't find the
>dead notes anymore. :-)