string seating - was bridge caps

[JIMRPT@AOL.COM]

Ron...sorry de debil made me do it :-)

 Several years back, possibly as long as ten years ago, I had a series of 
rebuilds that all needed new bridges. Since I was going to install new 
bridges in each of these thingees (3 pianos) I decided to experiment with 
various and sundry methods of: tapping, bending, rubbing, pegging pins, and 
using oversized pins.

What I discovered was, in order of effectiveness:
1.) rubbing strings down from the speaking length side.
2.) pegging pins rather than using oversized pins.
3.) 'gentle' bending on the speaking length side.
4.) tapping pins from the speaking length side.
5.) tapping pins from the bridge side.

 When tapping strings down on top of the bridge what I discovered was 'my' 
'tendency' to put a small blip/bend/dinged spot in the wire no matter how 
careful I was when tapping. I removed each of the bridge tapped strings, 
after trying them for tone improvement, and the blip/bend/dinged spots were 
seen as minute kinks in the wire. I used both brass and hard maple dowels
............... On the harder bridge it was not 'as much' of a problem as it 
was on the two softer bridges. Full bridge contact was acheived by 
rubbing/pushing down the strings on both sides of the bridge....but there was 
'not' a corresponding improvement in tone quality over and above just rubbing 
the front or speaking length.

 Today my string manipulation falls into three categories:
1.) rubbing strings down from the speaking length side.
2.) using ca rather than using oversized pins.
3.) 'gentle' bending on the speaking length side.

In other words I don't 'tap', or put another way....my shop is a tap free 
zone. :-)
Course if tapping works for others who may be more delicate than I than I 
have no problem with them doing so.
This better?
Jim Bryant (FL)