Becket

[Alan Barnard]

I've seen this several times. It's usually when detensioning (heavy, old) bass strings that it happens.You might check the archives for comments by Newton Hunt, Jim Coleman, etc.

I used the term "presumably" about the cause being stress at the bend because I don't really know, it just seems like a logical reason for a snapping point. Maybe I'm all wet but that's okay, I know how to swim. 

The technique of keeping tension on the coil was not my idea; I got it off the list at some point. I don't really and truly know that it makes any difference, either, but it makes sense to me--especially when restoring tension to old wire. 

Your newish string-break was likely a defect in the wire. But that's a presumption, too. A metallurgist or materials engineer could probably tell you, if you took him/her your remnant for a microscopic look-see.

BTW How's the view from inside my stomach? Next time, please take your shoes off and wash your feet before jumping. 

Alan Barnard
Not offended in Salem, MO




Original message
From: "Jurgen Goering" 
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Received: 12/8/2007 10:17:52 PM
Subject: Re: Becket


On Dec 6, 2007, Alan Barnard wrote:      Courier  This is a very common event. Very common event? As in weekly or monthly? Then why has almost no one experienced it? After 26 years in the biz, I had my first one last month. I posted about my broken becket to the CAUT list, and received only shoulder-shrugging responses.      Courier  The metal, presumably, is somewhat stressed and weakened making that 90 degree bend. Really? Look at this - the break is clearly not situated in the bend.      Courier  You mentioned that it was a single bass string and that is also a common area of the piano for breakage of this type. If you loosen one of these strings, it is helpful to keep the coil under some tension (pull on it) as you raise it back up to pitch so that the pulling force is applied to turns around the pin and not just to the wire at the becket bend. By the way, my broken becket was on a 1-1/2 year old Yamaha P22, up in the treble above the dampers.  Jurgen Goering Piano Forte Supply (250) 754-2440 info at pianofortesupply.com http://www.pianofortesupply.com 
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