>>While I used manufacturer specs for guidlines I just could not get past making the touch feel the way I wanted.
Hey Steven,
Your above statement ran through my head for my first 15 years or so of piano work. I assume your meaning is 'Why, when everything is regulated properly, does one piano fell great, and another not so great?'
There has got to be something more going on here, right? Right!!!
1. Action Geometry
2. Action Ratio
3. Friction
4. Hammer weight
5. Amount of Key Leading
I'm just trying to point you in some new directions here. We could get involved in any one of these points and fill an email. Needless to say, Baldwin missed the boat on most of these points, the ones I've worked on came in with
very high action ratios, high hammer weights and excessive key leading to counter the first two, add to this high friction at the knuckle because of the high hammer weight and you have more than a few things working against you.
Easy fixes, well some more than others.
Let's play with a typical Baldwin.
Determine individual ratio of each component and overall action ratio.
Move the capstan forward to give closer to a 2 - 1 key advantage at the same time helping the whippen out by improving it's ratio to something like 1.5 - 1. Take a look at the knuckle and see if getting it out to 17 mm will give you a jack/core line up and something like 7.5 - 1. Check action spread for 4.40. ( Go figure, A440 ). And look it all those other nice round numbers. Off with the hammers and shanks to lighten the hammers using a gram scale for a nice taper and relocate the knuckle.
Let's look at our new ratio.
Hammer 7.5 x whip 1.5 = 11.25 divided by the key 2 = 5.625. It was probably 6.6 before, plus you've lightened the hammers.
Check friction in pinning and keys.
Now you can start pulling some lead out of those keys, this is really going to help the action play, people can't believe the difference when you get the lead out.
Set a balance weight of around 38 to 40.
There is SOOOOO much more to making an action playable than regulation. And there is no end to the fun we can have working on these beasts.
I know you don't start redesigning actions on your first job, but you can start measuring and making assessments of the actions you work on, you will soon begin to feel the actions that have high action ratios and high key leading and you will start to see appropriate design improvements that can be made. Then you'll be dangerous.
The first step in any of this is accurate measurement, you won't hurt any body by measuring things, so get some expensive dividers and calipers, etc. and start writing stuff down.
Fenton
----- Original Message -----
From: Farrell
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:16 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] 1st grand regulation musing
1. While I used manufacturer specs for guidlines I just could not get past making the touch feel the way I wanted. I have played the piano (concert level) for 38 years, taught for 20, so I know what I like. The patient was a 30 year old Baldwin 7' grand that had had nothing but tunings for that time ( as far as I could tell). It plays very nicely now if I say so myself. I am still waiting to hear from the pianist but so far his silence speaks volumes.
Sounds to me like you did it the way it is supposed to be done. Congrats!!!
2. I found that as I was doing final precise regulations the aftertouch benefited from some key dip adjustment. Very minor amounts but still adding dip helped. Is this acceptable?
It is the way myself and many other do it. Small differences in dip across the keyboard is less noticeable than variations in letoff and aftertouch. I will sacrifice perfectly even dip in favor of even letoff and aftertouch.
3. I did not change the front rail punchings as these were is good condition. However the bottom of the key stroke feels a bit hard for lack of a better way to describe it. Is this a problem fresh punchings would have helped or is there another possible issue?
Fresh punchings will improve things. I favor Jurgen's Wurzen felt front rail punchings: http://www.pianofortesupply.com/punchings.html They give the key a soft landing, yet don't deform and get all squishy like most front rail punchings. Many others also have nothing but good to say about his punchings.
4. The whippens made a very noisey drop on the capstans so I brushed and revived the existing felt. No sound now. Is this felt replaceable? If so how do you do it - it seems like it would be a monster project?
Replace like just about any other felt on an action. I've done numerous sets. Soak felt/cloth with water to dissolve glue (or at least soften glue if it is white glue), remove felt/cloth, cut new action cloth of appropriate thickness (you can usually get the proper width pre-cut), and glue it on (I prefer hot hide glue - and only glue at front and rear ends - not in middle - same theory as back rail cloth, etc.). Not a monster projet - like anything else in an action, pretty simple and not much time to do one - only issue is that there are 88 of 'em.
Sounds like you're doing the right things and asking the right questions. Always be aware that you might not get the right answers to your questions! You'll get a number of good responses to your post. I have told you what I have found to work well for me. Others may have some better ideas.
Terry Farrell
----- Original Message -----
From: Steven Hopp
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 10:17 AM
Subject: [pianotech] 1st grand regulation musing
First, thank you to everyone who provides help to this list. I live 5 hours from my chapter and can't attend meetings though phone calls to members help (thanks Steve Walthall). I use this list, PACE materials, Reblitz, Potter DVD's and the like to learn.
I just finished my regulation after installing new hammers. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself very much. Now a few thoughts on the final result. I would appreciate any input on my observations.
1. While I used manufacturer specs for guidlines I just could not get past making the touch feel the way I wanted. I have played the piano (concert level) for 38 years, taught for 20, so I know what I like. The patient was a 30 year old Baldwin 7' grand that had had nothing but tunings for that time ( as far as I could tell). It plays very nicely now if I say so myself. I am still waiting to hear from the pianist but so far his silence speaks volumes.
2. I found that as I was doing final precise regulations the aftertouch benefited from some key dip adjustment. Very minor amounts but still adding dip helped. Is this acceptable?
3. I did not change the front rail punchings as these were is good condition. However the bottom of the key stroke feels a bit hard for lack of a better way to describe it. Is this a problem fresh punchings would have helped or is there another possible issue?
4. The whippens made a very noisey drop on the capstans so I brushed and revived the existing felt. No sound now. Is this felt replaceable? If so how do you do it - it seems like it would be a monster project?
I will leave it there for now as I know more things will come in the future. Many thanks again.
Sincerely,
Steven Hopp (associate preparing for testing this summer)
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