Teflon bushings: (was Re: Pinning on new flanges}

[David's Email]

Of course the fact that Steinway routinely reamed one side of the bushing , 
i.e. one teflon bushing to get the correct friction...which led to clicking 
in the not too distant future.   I can't think of anything great about 
teflon and its servicing compared to bushing cloth...

David I.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Keith McGavern" <kam544@gbronline.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 10:32 PM
Subject: Teflon bushings: (was Re: Pinning on new flanges}


> At 12:27 AM -0400 8/25/04, Sarah Fox wrote:
>>...  The problem with Steinway's Teflon blunder was the
>>loosening of the Teflon in the wooden hole with humidity changes. ...
>
> Sarah,
>
> I have to intervene as a result of this comment. Maybe you will appreciate 
> what I have to say, maybe not.
>
> For the record what I am about to say is an inner unfoldment that I came 
> to solely after several years of working with repinning and/or replacing 
> teflon bushings.
>
> If there is to be any blunder attributed to Steinway and the teflon 
> bushing experience:
>
> 1) it was only in that company's over evaluation of the abilities of the 
> piano technicians in the field to understand the beauty of the teflon 
> bushing in all its glory,
>
> 2) to not forsee the unwillingness of piano technicians to invest in the 
> necessary tools to work with them,
>
> 3) and the capacity to truly understand the techniques as to how to 
> properly replace and/or repin them.
>
> Those three things were, in my judgement, the main reasons for the 
> eventual undoing of the teflon bushing, not humidity changes.
>
> Somebody mentioned it was ahead of its time. Hardly. In my opinion the 
> general populace of piano technicians during that era were just unable to 
> embrace it, so it got the bad mouth from those who never really gave it 
> the time of day.
>
> Such is the way of some things.
>
> Keith
> -- 
> Keith McGavern
> Registered Piano Technician
> Oklahoma Chapter 731
> Piano Technicians Guild
> USA
>
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