[CAUT] lifting strings

[A440A@aol.com]

Jon writes:

<< I  made a string lifting tool to remove the natural curve at the v-bar:
A spinet caster mounted on the end of a pin block scrap. It is levered
on the key bed against a suitable block of the closest wood at hand.
I lift the duplex side first, then the speaking length.  >>

    Oh, our genius comes out, no?  I too, made a lifter using an inverted 
caster as the fulcrum and a piece of 1/2" steel for the lever.  I just ground a 
smooth shallow radius on the end of it.  Now, it seems like there are different 
protocols for using them, and I 
   I do my lifting starting at the  hitch pin and working my way towards the 
tuning pins.  I actually don't do any lifting around the agraffes or capo for 
as long as possible, since I want as much string migration over the aliquots 
and bridge stagger as possible.  Why so??  
     It's my belief that any wire deformation is best kept as centered on the 
obstruction as possible, ie, if I were to level the capo section before 
settling the hitch and bridge bends, when I did level them, that section of wire 
under the capo would move towards the tuning pin.  This would not only 
necessitate me re-leveling that section, but would move a bent section of wire into the 
upper "triplex" part of the scale.  
     I dont' know that that is a bad thing at the capo, but,  if I straighten 
the wire at the proximal bridge pin before I have the aliquots and hitch 
settled in, then, when I do straighten them, there is a slight bend in the wire 
that will move out into the speaking length.  I am not sure if this way madness 
lies, but I can't help but think that the variety of "near-termination" 
stresses resulting from this way of settling would contribute to unevenness of 
either tone or inharmonicity.  
   When I do get to the capo or agraffe, I straigten the speaking length 
first, leaving the upper strings for last.  This allows any migragtion of deformed 
wire to move directly under the bearing surface. 
Regards, 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html