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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Caut,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am curious about the stainless steel =
wire
advertized in the Journal. Has anyone used it? Or intending to? I was =
taught
that the main objection to it was that its breaking strain was not high =
enough,
but wonder if the metallergy has improved for this particular make of =
wire. If
so it would be a true breakthrough. If one thinks about it, the modern =
piano
could not exist without high tensile wire; back in the heyday of the =
piano, wire
makers competed fiercely to increase the strength of their product. =
Pohlmann wire, made in Germany, seemed to be the most popular. American =
wire was
made in two hardnesses, for treble and bass respectively. As I made bass =
strings, and had acquired an old factory foot operated looper, I tried =
at one
time to loop treble wire, but it shattered every time. Incidentally, the =
time
for making a loop is about eight seconds. I also sent six different =
brands of
wire to the Ontario Research Lab. and found there was little to choose =
between
them where breaking strength was concerned. Unfortunately they were =
unable to
supply the elastic limits, which are generally considered to be about =
two thirds
of the breaking strain. Klaus Fenner contests this and claims it to be =
90%, and
even if this is correct I would still prefer scales to be calculated =
within the
two thirds as every bend in a string stretches the crystalline structure =
on the
outside and compresses it on the inside, thus causing significant =
weakening.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In a grand piano, rusting can occur =
more on the
underside of the strings; one can sometimes observe this in institutions =
where
the string marks on the hammers are reddish brown; the proof is that =
this is not
so for the bass. Yet the top surfaces are relatively rust free. I =
believe this
is because condensation collects on the underside of the wire. This is =
important
when voicing, as part of the routine should be to clean the underside of =
the
strings with fine steel wool or polita, (obtainable from supply houses, =
an
eraser impregnated with a fine abrasive). One can only reach the strike =
areas of
course.(Remember to raise the dampers!). It does not make much =
sense to
nicely file the hammers then allow them to collect rust deposits to =
affect the
voicing. I have never seen this mentioned before; it is analogous to =
taking a
shower then putting on dirty underwear. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, as for knowing when to re-string, =
there has
already been excellent advice. When breakage starts to become frequent =
is a good
indicator. If re-stringing is delayed, one can literally be doing it =
anyway, one
string at a time, which is wasteful, time consuming and causes =
aggravation
for all concerned.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards to all, Ted =
Sambell</FONT></DIV>
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