<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Cool! Makes plenty of sense, and seems like it would be pretty efficient. One trick being to keep that tail on the long section short, so it is easy to "spring" and slip around the other wire. And you probably wouldn't make that second loop quite as tight, for the same reason. Do you do the "bend over the tail" thing, giving the loop a bit of the angle it is going to need, or does that make it too hard to spring it around the other wire? Or maybe it would be easier. In my mind's eye it would be, now that I think about it. I'll experiment and see. (Here's where a picture would definitely be worth a lot more than a bundle of confused words, but maybe you can interpret what I am getting at). <DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV>Regards,</DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm</DIV><DIV>University of New Mexico</DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A></DIV><DIV> </DIV> </DIV> <DIV><DIV>On Feb 28, 2007, at 12:09 PM, Wolfley, Eric ((wolfleel)) wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PersonName"><DIV class="Section1">Fred,<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P>I’m sorry, I meant to mention that I don’t remove the short wire from the pin at all. I make my first loop clockwise on the short wire with the tail passing beneath the string, feed the long wire through the loop from the top so it traps the tail, pull it through 2-3 inches and make the second loop clockwise as well but with the tail passing over the top of the string. (They are both clockwise because the strings are coming from opposite directions). I then can spring the wire a little bit and slip the second loop into place around the short wire while the loops are still 2-3 inches apart. This all easier to show than to describe.<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P>Eric<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><DIV>Eric Wolfley, RPT Head Piano Technician Cincinnati College-Conservatory of <ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Music</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACETYPE w:st="on">University</ST1:PLACETYPE> of <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Cincinnati</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV><DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-left:.5in;text-align:center; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "><HR size="2" width="100%" align="center" tabindex="-1"></DIV>From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [<A href="mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org">mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org</A>] On Behalf Of Fred Sturm Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 1:19 PM To: <ST1:PERSONNAME w:st="on">College and University Technicians</ST1:PERSONNAME> Subject: Re: [CAUT] CAUT String Repair Class....was unusual repair<O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P>Hi Eric,<O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><DIV> Okay, but I'm still wondering about the detail. Is it basically the Spurlock method, where you make the loop in the short piece, bend and slide onto the long, then make a reverse loop (one loop clockwise, the other counter-clockwise, you pick) on the end of the long wire, bend, work the becket through the loop, the rest is standard? The only difference being that you have the becket bend you are trying to protect, as opposed to a "straight" piece of wire in the "standard" method. Or is there a way of making a loop around the short piece, below the becket. I can't imagine one, but I'd love to here about a way if someone has come up with it.<O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV><DIV> I'm in a "low impact" school (less aggressive piano students and faculty), where breaks at the capo or agraffe are the exception, so the opportunity doesn't arise much. I'm more likely to have it break at the pin, and often just back off enough from the other pin to make a new, small coil. In doing that, I usually pull the end of the wire through the empty pin, make a small bend a la Wurlitzer stringing style, then make the coil "in place" (a sharp pull on the pin with the hammer, giving a sudden 90 degree or so turn to create the becket bend, then normal procedures). I find that one coil around the pin with that little retaining bend on the other side of the becket hole will hold fine. And there are still nearly two coils around the other pin. I've been doing this for years without undue problems. <O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><DIV><DIV>Regards,<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV>Fred Sturm<O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACETYPE w:st="on">University</ST1:PLACETYPE> of <ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">New Mexico</ST1:PLACENAME></ST1:PLACE><O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV><A href="mailto:fssturm@unm.edu">fssturm@unm.edu</A><O:P></O:P></DIV><DIV><O:P> </O:P></DIV> <O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><DIV><DIV>On Feb 28, 2007, at 8:54 AM, <ST1:PERSONNAME w:st="on">Wolfley, Eric</ST1:PERSONNAME> ((wolfleel)) wrote:<O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV> <O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><DIV><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"><O:SMARTTAGTYPE namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PersonName"><SPAN style="border-spacing: 0px 0px;text-align:auto;-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto;orphans: 2;widows: 2;word-spacing:0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; ">Fred,<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P>I’ve always used the short piece of existing wire I guess because I’m too lazy to go get wire…also, I think part of the beauty of splicing (besides all of the other advantages) is the immediacy of it. You break a wire and then take care of it right then and there. It almost always takes less than 10 minutes and I’ve done it in as little as 5 when everything is going right. This includes straightening all the bends, leveling the strings and pounding the note until the pitch has pretty well stabilized. I’ve had strings break at so many inopportune times that I just keep the couple of extra tools with me at all times. I had to splice F2 (#21 wire) on a Steinway D recently the day before a Concerto. I did have to make a trip to get wire for that splice because it broke at the tuning pin but even this difficult splice took 15 minutes once I had the wire. It was 100% stable by the next day.<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P>We have the perfect set-up to practice splicing (practice rooms) and I strongly urge everyone to take advantage and hone that skill for the time where it could save a performance.<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P>BTW, of the possibly hundreds of splices here, I find it extremely rare for a spliced string to break again or fail in any way.<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P>Eric<O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><O:P style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "> </O:P><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P><DIV><ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Head</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Piano</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Technician</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACETYPE w:st="on">University</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE><O:P style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "></O:P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV><SPAN informal="" color:="" rgb(255,="" 0,="" 0);="" font-family:="" roman;="" font-size:="" color:navy;="" rgb(0,="" 128);="" times="" new="" margin-left:.5in;text-align:center;="" font-size:12.0pt;="" 16px;="" text-align:="" margin-left:.5in;="" font-weight:="" font-size:10.0pt;font-family:tahoma;font-weight:bold;="" tahoma;="" 13.3333px;="" font-size:10.0pt;font-family:tahoma;="" bold;="" font-weight:bold;="" while="" applying="" tension="" to="" the="" strings="" -="" pulling="" on="" them="" start="" unwinding="" border-spacing:="" 0px="" 0px;text-align:auto;-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect:="" none;="" -apple-text-size-adjust:="" auto;orphans:="" 2;widows:="" font-size:9.0pt;="" font-size:9.0pt;font-family:="" 255);="" -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect:="" min-height:="" margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt;="" 221);="" 14px;="" 99,="" 18);=""></DIV></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE></O:SMARTTAGTYPE> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> </BODY></HTML>