[pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...

[Dale Erwin]

I prefer a basswood shoe and button. Maple is as you say too hard and can become noisy. The balance hole fit is to finicky. The keybutton has zero forgiveness. I know Rick at Roseland likes maple but I will always request bass wood. Poplar would be fine a good chocie too.

Just my 2 cents
Dale


Dale Erwin R.P.T.
Erwin's Piano Restoration Inc.
 Mason & Hamlin/Steinway/U.S. pianos
www.Erwinspiano.com
Phone: 209-577-8397

 
  





-----Original Message-----
From: David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Thu, Sep 27, 2012 7:46 pm
Subject: Re: [pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...


I've had keysets made for me and the shoes were made of maple (as were the
buttons).  I felt they were both too hard but just wondered what others
thought and what their experience was. Mine was as Del and Ron suggest, the
maple shoe is too hard and gets noisy if the fit isn't perfect.  On the
positive side I suppose the fit is less like to change but...  Even the
buttons made of maple I found to be too hard but there, as long as one is
careful with the bushing cloth size, there is at least not a problem with
noise.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Mike
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 10:07 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...

I think poplar is best for balance hole replacement and very good for
buttons. Poplar is harder than the original keystick materials but softer
than maple. Poplar is also very dimensionally stable for a harder wood when
compared to maple or beech. There is however a lot of manufacturers using
beech & maple for buttons and shoes, are they on to something or is it just
the local substitute as has been suggested?   Mike
Blackstone Valley Piano

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Delwin D Fandrich
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 10:18 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...

I pretty much concur with Ron. Maple--or birch or beech or whatever the
local substitute is--for the buttons. Poplar--or, again, whatever the local
substitute is--for the shoe. It's on the top of the lever where tensile
strength is important.

For the same reason I don't like using thinned hide glue to size the balance
pin hole--it makes the thing too hard and if there is any gap they click.
Maple is too hard for the shoe. If ever there is a slight gap they click.
The shoe material doesn't really have to be all that hard to hold up well;
remember there are millions of spruce, pine, bass or whatever keys out there
that have worked pretty well for a really long time. And, of course, a few
that didn't.

ddf

Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Design & Fabrication
6939 Foothill Court SW, Olympia, Washington 98512 USA Phone  360.515.0119 —
Cell  360.388.6525 del at fandrichpiano.com — ddfandrich at gmail.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of David Love
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 6:53 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...

Thanks for changing the subject line.  And what's your reasoning for not
wanting maple on the shoe?  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Nossaman [mailto:rnossaman at cox.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2012 5:23 AM
To: davidlovepianos at comcast.net; pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] buttons and shoes - was pulley key...

On 9/26/2012 11:49 PM, David Love wrote:
> On a related matter, what's your opinion about the type of wood that 
> should be used for key shoes and buttons. How hard is too hard, how 
> soft is too soft?

Del's may differ, but my preference is maple or poplar for buttons, and
poplar for shoes.
Ron N





 
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