Restringing an 'Old English' birdcage(was metric/American Standard)

[thepianoarts]

Ken,

    Thanks for the conversion tip. I'll use it. The pinblock condition
(feel) and relativly good tuning pin torque are encouraging. No visable
cracks anywhere.  As you suggest, this is very unusual.  The action pinning,
hammer & shank condition, bridge and 'nut' pinning, and soundboard, all look
good. (The 'nut' is the bridge-like termination points south of the tuning
pins, right?) The damper action works 'well'. The soundboard has some life
in it yet. The action feel is quick and easy. Try as I might, I could not
find any structural reason to refuse the job. I labored to talk the owner
out of putting any money into the instrument, offering a variety of
alternatives. 
 The owner is aware of the limitations, via the damper action, and the
relative tone quality differences, compared to a more modern instrument.
    Why restring with a more 'authentic' wire? Will it make a difference?
Don't know. The theory I am working under is, that in using the 'more like
the original' wire, that is, a little less stiff, that the musical result
might reflect this difference. Is this wire a little more flexable, which
might result in a tone which is not as aggressive, and with a slower decay,
and a little better harmonic development?)
    I bought the "PureSound" article theory. Juan, one of the owners of
PureSound, is a real enthusiest, and will make a great contribution to our
craft, if he can get the distribution to the USA etc. worked out.
    If per chance I can get the wire in enough time to finish by Christmas,
I'll let you know how it went.
Thanks for your help.

Dan Reed
Dallas Chapter


on 10/26/00 4:18 PM, Kenneth P. Eschete at k-eschete@nwu.edu wrote:

> Dan,
> To convert your string measurements to mm, multiply your mircometer
> readings by 25.4.
> I have restrung English uprights from this period and wonder if you have
> anticipated the problem  with the pinblock.  Loose tuning pins are pretty
> standard on these instruments and restringing with oversize pins does not
> always correct the problem.  The pinblocks are solid wood and the cracks
> will just open wider when a larger pin is used.  Then there's the problems
> with the nut, which is often made of wood that is cracked.  Bringing up the
> string tension of a piano with this condition causes the nut pins to pull
> out and fly across the room like bullets.  Then there's the action.....
> 
> I really don't think you need to worry about what kind of wire you are
> using.  It is unlikely to make any difference in the tone of a piano like
> this.
> Good luck,
> 
> Ken Eschete
>