Pinning on new flanges

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Ric,

> Sarah... read my last paragraph... I open up for exactly that.  I do
> question the <<scientific basis>> ryan opened up with tho.  Thats
> quantifiable... so lets see the quantities documented before we stated
> they are or are not. so.

... er...  Yes, you did.  ;-)

This is all part of the larger scientific process.  It starts out with
observation, then theorization, then hard testing of hypotheses  linked to
the theory, then refinement of the theory, etc.  It's not so simple a
process as we lead our undergraduate students to believe!  ;-)  So nobody is
being unscientific here.  Y'all are just talking about different stages of
the scientific process, which is fine and good.  Testing indeed needs to be
done.  Inquiring minds...

I suppose I had never understood the argument (until now) that friction is
the cost of stability, which is of greater overall importance -- or that
there is a compromise between the two.  Given that, I can see why techs
strive to have the right amount of friction -- since it is easy to measure
and is a close correlate of rigidity.  I always thought the argument was
that somehow pianists like the feel of friction, which I don't think they
do.

But stepping outside the box, for a second, there's a problem of getting
stuck in the groove of trying to optimize a technology that can only do just
so much.  Should we not be focusing on how to create tight, rigid, hard,
frictionless, noiseless, easily serviceable bearings, rather than using the
same ol' technology of packing an oversized wooden hole with enough padding
to take up the slack and not be *too* heavy in friction, seeking to find the
optimal comprimise the is the least of all evils?  Bushing cloth may not be
the best material!  While hard bearings may be noisy, they are only noisy if
they are loose.  The problem with Steinway's Teflon blunder was the
loosening of the Teflon in the wooden hole with humidity changes.
Conceivably, with wear, there could also be a problem with noise and runout
(slop), as the Teflon holes wear larger.  Considering these things, wouldn't
the best long-range solution be to figure out a way to fix the bushing mount
problem -- to make the mount more resistant to deterioration from humidity
changes and, moreover, make the bushings very easily, quickly, and cheaply
replaceable?  What if all the hammer bushings could be replaced in the
course of a half hour, without the need for painstaking fitting and
refitting?  What if total replacement of bushings were done every, say, 5-20
years (depending on usage), at a cost to the owner of perhaps $100.  Isn't
that where we should be headed?

> They are on that track today as well, with very low friction levels in
> their hammershank flanges    At least in New York they operate this
> way.  Hamburg is more traditional.

Perhaps ol' Horowitz had some infuence on them, as their official
spokesartist.  ;-)

Peace,
Sarah