[pianotech] Regulating drop

wimblees at aol.com wimblees at aol.com
Thu Nov 26 12:06:59 MST 2009


The term "drop" is a misnomer. We regulate the "drop" screw so that it touches the top of the balancier to coincides with the tail of the jack hitting the let off button. At that point, the jack starts it's escape from the knuckle, and the balancier is getting out of the way of the knuckle, to allow the hammer to travel freely towards the string. We measure this by seeing how much the hammer "drops" after letoff. The closer we can get that relationship, the better it feels for the pianist.  The more accurate name of the drop screw should be. "The button that gets the balancier out of way". 


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT 
Piano Tuner/Technician
94-505 Kealakaa Str. 
Mililani, Oahu, HI  96789
808-349-2943 
www.Bleespiano.com
Author of: 
The Business of Piano Tuning 
available from Potter Press 
www.pianotuning.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Raynor <diggeray at comcast.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Wed, Nov 25, 2009 6:49 am
Subject: [pianotech] Regulating drop


Hi list,
've been reviewing my notes from "Are You Regulationally Challenged?" which was 
resented at Grand Rapids this summer (great!!) and remembering a few other 
omments I heard, and have a few questions.  In that class we were taught to set 
he drop screw to attain "simultaneous escapement"--essentially that the jack 
oe would hit the button at the same time the rep lever hit the drop screw, 
hich results in a very small drop.  On several grands I've tuned recently, I 
oticed that there was WAY more drop than that (and way more than the maximum 
/8" than I would normally expect).
 guess my question is "what's the purpose of drop?"  Israel Stein says "so you 
now you have letoff".  Will too large a drop effect repetition?  Will it also 
ffect the touch of the piano?  That's my thinking, but I'd love the input of 
he experts so I have it firmly (and correctly) in my mind.
hanks,
huck Raynor
aynor Piano Service
t. Helena Island, SC=

=
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