follow up: RE: New Stein. A loose hammer flanges

[David Andersen]

> The change in tone on this piano was astounding.
> I have been chasing voicing issues that are pinning
> issues.

Ding ding ding ding. This is what Chris Robinson and Roger Jolly have  
been preaching for a long while; all this baloney about zero friction  
is a crock of merde. In most pianos, in most applications, 3-4-5  
swings is close to ideal for the shank flange. I'm glad, Dave, that  
you now have concrete, practical, aural evidence of the crucial tonal  
importance of proper shank flange friction. We repin carefully on  
every single set of new flanges we install, regardless of maker. It's  
that important. Proper flange friction, especially at the shank flange,
has a radical positive effect on the touch, the "right" feeling of  
the action; it becomes crisper, "lighter," more controllable at low  
volume.

If you maintain high-use Asian pianos, you can become a voodoo,  
iconic "voicing technician," respected and desired, if you carefully  
repin the shank flanges. We repin the shank flanges on every new  
client with an Asian piano (and other makers on a case-by-case  
basis)  as a matter of course. There's oodles in the archives about  
the latest, hippest methods; the Mannino broaches are the key.

You can't lose with this. Most times you repin, everything gets  
startlingly better, and you're a hero. Woo-hoo.

xoDavid Andersen


On Nov 7, 2007, at 6:08 PM, David Renaud wrote:

> There were 27 swings on some hammer flanges.
> Some birds eyes required #22 pin to be tight.
> The pins were rotating in some bird eyes.
>
>
> The change in tone on this piano was astounding.
> I have been chasing voicing issues that are pining
> issues.
>
> The rep. works.
>
> One comment was that Steinway spec for hammer flange
> pinning is .1 to 4 grams. There is talk of a zero
> friction policy. Excuse my ignorance, but are you
> kidding, is that a joke. Do they really think one
> tenth on one gram is acceptable.
>
>   If so I should post a recording of the change
> in tone in this octave for all to hear. Also it
> is imposable  to get the rep springs soft enough
> not to jump and still allow the rep. lever to support
> the hammer on fast trills. Impossible I say with
> .1 gram resistance.
>
>    Now I have to do the whole piano.
>
>    The repined octave is silky smooth.
>    The very next note A5 screams upper harmonics and
> has clack in the tone. The clack was not so noticeable
> when ever thing was the same, but now with a clean
> point of reference it is so clearly deficient.

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