Tuning lever length

[Porritt, David]

I used to be a jerk tuner but now I'm not unless the pins are super
tight.  I have a Fujan hammer with the longest tube (I also have the
short tube but never use it).  The greater length gives better leverage
and the super stiffness allows me to feel every tiniest movement of the
pin.  Also with the long lever if there's any reason to feel things
closer to the head, I can just move my hand closer on the lever.  With a
short lever I can't move out for more leverage.  Of course after nearly
35 years of this work my hands also tell me to get better leverage.
When I used the Schaff extension lever pulled out there was so much flex
that it was difficult to detect pin movement from shank flex.   

 

dave

 

____________________

David M. Porritt, RPT

dporritt at smu.edu

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Bruce Dornfeld
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:55 PM
To: pianotech
Subject: Tuning lever length

 

The discussion of the new CF carbon fiber levers brings to mind a
subject that I cannot remember seeing on pianotech.  How long of a
tuning lever works best for your basic tuning technique?   A couple of
years ago I gave a technical session for our chapter called "If I had
The Hammer".  It was a survey of the numerous tuning levers that can be
purchased today as well as modifications that can be made.  One
observation I made is one that you, with your input to the list, can
help us all understand better.  I believe that tuners who use a smooth
hammer technique prefer a longer lever and that tuners who use a jerk or
impact technique benefit from a shorter lever.

 

I have been using a jerk or impact technique for at least twenty five
years now.  I have gone through many tuning levers.  I started with the
long extension lever at 11 1/2 inches, but quickly changed to the
shorter 10 inch one.  The first Fujan lever I tried, in his early days,
felt to me like walking on stilts.  It might have been 15 inches long or
longer, but I'm not sure about that.  I currently use a Charles Falk
lever that is 8 3/4 inches long and it has worked great for me for
several years or more.  But I think that's because I'm a jerk.  I had a
Jahn Pear handle hammer for a while.  It was a nice light weight, but at
11 inches overall, it was just too long for me.  I gave it to Robert
Guenther, a CTE for our chapter, to try and he bought it from me.  It
has been his main lever for at least a couple of years now.  Robert is a
smoothie.  That is, he uses a smooth or steady pull technique t! o tune.

 

Most of you know if you are jerks or smoothies.  What length tuning
lever works best for your technique?  

 

 

Bruce Dornfeld, RPT  Jerk Tuner

bdornfeld at earthlink.net

North Shore Chapter

 

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