> What is wrong with using 1/10th? The tape measure is not hard to get. Two problems where. First, you are expecting a factory worker to think! Enough said. A scale stick is what the actual string winder uses to make up the set. It has the core and copper sizes, where the wrap begins and where it ends for the entire set. Mapes has thousands and thousands of scale sticks hanging on the walls and special racks for them as well. A string winder can make a few individual strings from a paper list but that is inefficient for him. He would rather go get the stick and make up the tow or three strings you need for a particular piano than try to read and set up from paper. When I asked a string winder why he shortened up on the copper he said, "I donno jus been doin it along". I got into making my own designs years ago when I started asking why the new strings sounded worse than the old ones I took off. They know what they can do, like how large a wrap they can put on a core size but understanding such things as tension, inharmonicity, breaking % and power they are completely out of touch. You can complain but they will not understand what you are talking about. For understanding you have to go with string makers like Isaac, G C and a few others. I fought that fight so now I just send a sheet of paper with numbers on it and pay the price to get exactly what I want the way I want it. Being cheap is too darned costly. Newton
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