Replacing plain wire

[A440A@aol.com]

<<> I'd be very reluctant to count on it being such that the elastic limit is
> not reached until the pitch is raised about 200 cents.

>> I still think, 
too, that the localized high stress areas are the places that are more 
serious for modern pianos, not the general stress levels.>>

    Greetings, 
   (I did say that the 200 cents was rough mental). 

    The description of the minor third as a breaking limit is amazingly 
consistant. This was a premise put forth by Don Galt, (around the early '60s 
I think).  I have tried it on numerous restringing candidates and found it to 
be danged consistantly right on.  The strings break within 30 cents or so of 
it.   Of course, compromised strings will usually let go earlier.  Modern 
wire breaks later.  
     A scale that has low tension stringing will let  notes go higher than 
the minor third, and some pianos with a high tension stringing will see them 
break sooner,  but all these limits seem to center around the minor 3rd as a 
general limit.
    Try it,wear glasses ! (I put a split cardboard tube over the string 
before I break them.   
 Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT