S&S D with high strings/low action stack

[Andrew and Rebeca Anderson]

David,
I'm estimating by Steinway's measurements.  The bass hammer is 1/8" 
under spec and is overstriking a little over 3/16",  The treble 
hammer is 3/16" under spec and is overstriking 3/8".
Maybe the new hammers *were* bigger than spec.

Andrew Anderson


At 03:20 PM 10/16/2006, you wrote:
>But haven't these hammers been filed quite a bit?   How would one 
>estimate where they were originally, as far as over-striking?
>
>David Ilvedson, RPT
>Pacifica, CA  94044
>
>
>----- Original message ----------------------------------------
>From: "Ric Brekne" <ricbrek at broadpark.no>
>To: "Andrew and Rebeca Anderson" <anrebe at sbcglobal.net>, pianotech 
><pianotech at ptg.org>
>Received: 10/16/2006 12:06:33 PM
>Subject: Re: S&S D with high strings/low action stack
>
>
> >Hi again
>
> >Well it looks like our (actually you had it all along) origional call on
> >this was the right one. Nice one.
>
> >As far as solutions go... Its all well and fine that Steinway sends you
> >some shims to raise the action... this will get you a ways down the road
> >to be sure.  But it sounds like the guy from the service department out
> >and out admits a production fault concerning the plate height to begin
> >with.  Ok... he gives 7&7/8's as a max and you say you are perhaps at
> >8... but.... hey....  That coupled with the symptoms you give clearly
> >show the piano left the factory with a problem that should have been
> >corrected.... at least it looks pretty clear from hear :)  Couple in
> >also that he is recommending a new set of hammers with a custom
> >bore..... wellllllll..
>
> >If the piano is under warranty then I think you have a good case...
>
> >I dont know how hard you want to press this given your situation there.
> >Perhaps it might be easier to just shim and put on a new set of hammers
> >in the end.  Whose paying for all the effort and parts then ??  You say
> >he reccommends <<buying>> a set of hammers ??... on a warranty piano ??
>
> >Something sounds a bit off the proverbial wall here.
>
> >In any case... I'd shim the stack whatever you need / can get,  hang a
> >new set of hammers, leave the keyframe as is... and send S&S the bill :)
>
> >Cheers
> >RicB
>
> >Andrew and Rebeca Anderson wrote:
> >> Continuing saga:
> >> I spoke with a Steinway technician in the service department this
> >> morning (name slips me) and have the following solution(s) recommended,
> >>     He is sending 1/16" walnut shims cut to fit under the action feet
> >> and raise the action by that much, I'll have to re-time the checking
> >> &         reset let-off
> >>     he recommends buying the un-bored Steinway hammers and custom
> >> boring them to take up some of the over-striking difference
> >>         (my measurements on the existing hammers suggest that they
> >> have been over-filed already by 1/8 -3/16" so my high grit
> >> polishing isn't the first time this has been done.)
> >> We discussed string height and he gave one specification: note 66 is
> >> to be 7&3/4" +/- 1/8" above the key-bed.  I pointed out that my
> >> measurements put this area very close to 8".  He became a little
> >> defensive and said that fixing this would require rebuilding the piano
> >> and that Steinway wasn't going to do this (I had mentioned the piano
> >> was still under warranty).  I then asked him about Steinway policy
> >> regarding over-striking.  He plainly said that the hammers shouldn't
> >> overstrike.  Of-course they all do now by significantly more than the
> >> amount they have been filed under standard bore and most likely were
> >> by a significant amount when the piano was new.
> >> I mentioned checking and capsizing problems with too short hammer
> >> tails too far above the action and he didn't have much to add other
> >> than that shimming the action by 1/16 should help with the capsizing.
> >> He couldn't get me stats on the size of the un-bored hammers.  I'm
> >> guessing they are the same size as the bored ones and I'm not too
> >> enthusiastic about boring those much lower on the tail.  Custom
> >> hammers by another hammer maker may be the better way to go, but than
> >> there is the Steinway Only politics to deal with...
> >>
> >> So, my solution is drifting towards this:
> >>     Shim the key-frame 1/16"
> >>     Shim the action stack 1/16"
> >>     Recommend new hammers (really this should be a warranty item too,
> >> there is significant labor in this)
> >> This gets me a third of the way with adequate clearance at the
> >> fall-board and 1/16" clearance at the pinblock with the drop screws
> >> backed all the way out.  Taller hammers will drag going in and out and
> >> I'll have to watch that (had a mishap on a Chinese-made piano
> >> yesterday).  By shimming both I reduce the problem to the neighborhood
> >> of  1/16" so a lower bore won't be so worrisome.
> >>
> >> Do any of you have more to add?
> >>
> >> Andrew Anderson, Artisan Piano
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>