Pinning on new flanges

[David's Email]

The cloth bushing has stood the test of time...quiet, easily serviced and 
durable.   Nothing is perfect, least of all the piano...

David Ilvedson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sarah Fox" <sarah@graphic-fusion.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Pinning on new flanges


> 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
>
>
>
>
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