[pianotech] Kawai parts - response

[David Renaud]

Hello

   A public thanks to Mark at Kawai for following up quickly and 
authorizing dealing with the loose birds eyes as warranty.
   They are paying attention and care about it.  
--------------------------------------------------  
   

   This does motivate me to urge more discussion on a related issues
that remain unresolved in my mind.

1) A couple manufacturers are opting for "lower friction" in their flanges.
   Why, what is the argument in favour of this? 

   I can think of reasons why this becomes troublesome. The lower the friction in a grand hammer flange the more narrow a window of opportunity there becomes for the rep' springs to be "just right." A brand new Steinway comes to mind with the new treated bushing cloth designed for lower friction. Rep' levers would collapse under hammer weight and fail, and with the very slightest bit of added tension jump.....30 swings is just too loose by any measure. It seems to me that if a company desires lower friction they are narrowing the manufacturing margin of error as well. If a hammer flange is 2gr or 4gr I can adjust so it works, but if it is designed to be 1 gram, it had better be one gram not .6 less or it fails.        

  So I am curious, and open minded about it. Why lower friction
in flanges by design? 

    Now for another matter of opinion............
    How large a required pin in a flange is too large for a new piano? 
22.5 in a 6 month old piano should have a new part? 22, 21.5???
How enlarged is too enlarged a birds eye are deserves a new part while
under warranty. I know this is subjective, and I will make my own determination in the end, but others opinions will weigh in.




                                        Cheers
                                        Dave Renaud




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