Hi, Ted, Do you have a source for an English version of any of Forss' books? I don't mind the German, but would rather exercise what remains of my language skills on other stuff. Thanks very much! Cheers! Horace At 08:46 AM 11/17/2010, you wrote: >Mick, > >What you describe (so well) is the design of the original Erard >action. There is a small drawing of it in the book on upright and >grand regulating by Carl-Johan Forss (page 355). I tuned many of >these when working in London, UK, many years ago. The French hung on >to the basic design with later modifications. I had a customer here >with a 1920 Erard with one version, but am surprised that yours is >as late as 1943. Basically, I feel this to be mechanically superior >to both the key rockers as used by older Bechsteins and to our >standard capstans. There is little friction and the need to position >the intersection of the capstan and wippen heel on a straight line >is eliminated. Also, the key and action are linked, preventing any >tendandtcy for the action to bounce off the key, though this does >not seem to be a problem in the modern action. Nonetheless, I would >like to see if this happens on high speed video, which appears never >to have been investigated, unless I have missed it. Most high speed >video concentrates on the hammershank and string. Obviously, the >design is impractical, and one can well imagine plenty of >complaining in the early factories. There were other very good >details, long since abandoned, the hammers had no tails, so were >lighter,and they checked on a wire protruding through the repetition >lever (balancier) in front. This permitted the keys to be removed >without removing the stack. >The original Erard had brass flanges with adjustable center pin >bushings. This was achieved by slitting the flange and fitting a >tightening screw, similarly to American square pianos. My customer's >piano had conventional wood flanges. One idea it had was unfortunate >though; the edges of the windows in the repetition levers were >covered with shiny white sheepskin, and the knuckles had worn them >right through. The old Erards I tuned were straight strung with >oblong tuning pins which I tuned with a T-hammer. Most had dampers >underneath the strings, held up by springs. If a spring broke, you >were in deep trouble. I could have a good deal more to say on these >early instruments, but I hope you find this of some interest. > >Ted Sambell > > >From: mick johnson <mickjohnsonrpt at gmail.com> >To: caut at ptg.org >Sent: Tue, November 16, 2010 11:08:41 PM >Subject: [CAUT] Baldwin D bridge > >Alan - I service one of those with the added weirdness of not having >traditional capstans. The backs of the keys and whippen bottoms are >mortised and pinned together with wooden abstract. It has a >double-ended capstan in the middle operating like a turnbuckle. The >bottom of the abstract is forked and snaps onto the center pin on >the back of the key, so anytime you remove the stack they all have >to be pulled off and snapped back on. It was built in 1943. I >haven't figured out if the design had something to do with the war >effort or recreational drug use. Has anybody else seen this? > >Mick Johnson, R.P.T. >University of Nebraska, Kearney >Kearney, NE >308-237-9264
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