[CAUT] Oh WimBlees, you isn't off da hook!

Willem Blees wblees at bama.ua.edu
Mon Dec 11 08:13:40 MST 2006


David

Thanks for reminding me. Because of some scheduling conflicts, I'm 
working on it this Friday afternoon. 

But in addition to doing the wippens on the Concert Hall Steinway, 
I've been looking at other grand pianos, and found that most of them 
have bobbling hammers, to some extent. I think this summer I will 
spend a considerable amount of time evaluating and correcting wippens. 

During the first part of this thread, someone wrote a list of all the 
possible reasons a hammer could bobble. Whoever that was, could you 
post it again. The information could make for a nice article. 

Assuming the regulation is correct, one of the problems with making 
the "perfect" adjustment to the wippen is that there are too many 
variables which are almost impossible to measure. For instance, the 
touch. How soft can we hit the key and expect the hammer to check. 
Then there is the curvature and roughness of the hammer tail and the 
rake and roughness of the back check. The strength of the spring, and 
the condition of the spring groove can also have an impact. The only 
thing we have control over is the gram resistance of the balancier. 

Am I missing anything?

Wim 


Quoting David Skolnik <davidskolnik at optonline.net>:

> Hey Wim -
> Just a friendly reminder.  Have you had a chance to look at the piano
> yet?
> 
> David Skolnik
> 
> 
> 
> At 08:58 AM 11/15/2006, you wrote:
> >Since this thread got started with wippens, I want to report that I
> am
> >not going to be able to do the work on the balanciers on the D
> until
> >Dec. 7. I will give a report once I'm done.
> 
> 


Willem Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
School of Music
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL USA



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