Hi, David, At 07:10 PM 8/25/2004, you wrote: >I was under the impression that one of the problems with teflon was wood >swelling and squeezing the bushing thus tightening the flange... is this >another urban legend? Yes, actually...although I have seen it done a good many times. What so many of these things hark back to is what Avery was talking about. Basically (and, with the clear acknowledgement that all generalizations are inherently bad), the factory put out _no_ useful information as to how to services these actions for a number of years...certainly the first few years of production. Problems with the actions miraculously became problems with the technicians involved. It was endemic. As late as 1968/1969 (~ 10 years after the first real production instruments were released), Freddie Drasche was still teaching how to make your own "parallel" reamers by rolling center pins between two files. CPs thus treated were good for about four or five bushings before they got too smoothed over to be of any value...so, folks, being always aware of the bottom line, would simply do the roll trick again...and, again...and, again....well, you get the idea. I do not remember when the factory _finally_ started selling the industrial tool-steel fluted reamers...perhaps as late as the early 1970's. They were released about the time that the first of the factory technical bulletins in re: servicing teflon bushings was produced...plus or minus a bit. The early publications were not well written, and contained information which, while useful in a factory setting was less so in the field. So, that was one set of problems. Another was the price of the reamers. If memory serves, it was around $12 per each for four reamers (and, once one did a little digging, one could find another group of in between sizes for more accurate work)...so, if one were really going to try to get set up for servicing those things, you could drop the better part of $100 before buying and parts (the bushings themselves and the specially tumbled/polished center pins). Now, mind you this was when $100 was real money. So, by that time, these parts were up against several obstacles: - premature, ill-planned release to begin with; - complete lack of technical support directly from the manufacturer; - a myriad of resulting home remedies (most of which were introduced more problems than they solved); - limited technical training (after things got bad, Freddie basically just did it on his own recognizance); - poorly written/thought through maintenance procedures (when they finally became available); - expensive tools and parts; - lots and lots of technicians who simply could not see outside the box. The combination made the whole project an all-too-easy target for marketing wonks...and, companies (like, for example, Kawai) who have been continuing to pioneer the use of new materials have had a really tough row to how. What is truly incredible is that, if one does even minimal research on piano-related patents, one quickly discovers that there are literally thousands and thousands of ingenious ideas which have been scuttled...mostly, one suspects, because they add too much cost to the initial manufacturing process. As technicians, we really do have to remember that, at bottom, the piano industry, like all others, is about making money for the folks who are at the top of the food chain. Yes, music and art are in there someplace...they are simply not at the top of the list, no matter what we think. Since it has not been mentioned in a while, I suggest as highly recommended reading, Carol Roell's "The Piano in America: 1890 - 1940". In a real piano technology curriculum, a knowledge of this book would be right up there with Braid White as required. Hmmm...Sorry, I've really been on a tear with this whole thing...too much misinformation for too many years from too many otherwise well-intentioned sources...raises my dystolic...my apologies. Best to all. Horace >David I. > >----- Original Message ----- From: "Avery Todd" <avery@ev1.net> >To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> >Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 5:48 PM >Subject: Re: Teflon bushings: (was Re: Pinning on new flanges} > > >>Sarah, >> >>I have to disagree a "little" bit here. IMHO, the primary reason that >>the Teflon actions had such a hard time with piano technicians is that >>that never bothered to "teach" the techs how to deal with it/them. >> >> From what I've been told, teflon responds exactly the opposite of felt >>bushed flanges. >> >>Avery >> >>At 12:32 AM 8/25/04, you wrote: >>>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 >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives >> >>_______________________________________________ >>pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > >_______________________________________________ >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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