string termination

[Carl Meyer]

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  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Farrell=20
  To: Pianotech=20
  Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2005 3:46 AM
  Subject: Re: string termination


  Comments interspersed below:=20

  >> Carl Meyer wrote:
  > Ron O replied:

  >>A lot of things about string terminations have bugged me for some =
time.
  >=20
  > Me too. This is a topic which raises the level of pianotech list =
interest.
  >=20
  >>Ron Overs promotes hardening of the capo bar, yet the agraffe is a=20
  >>relatively soft material (brass).  The difference is that the capo=20
  >>is straight and the agraffe is round.  Wouldn't the agraffe last=20
  >>longer if it were heavily plated with chrome, nickel or??
  >=20
  > It would last longer if it was plated with a hard or harden-able=20
  > material. I think brass is a very poor material for string=20
  > terminations. After re-profiling (both new and used agraffes) we =
have=20
  > been plating them with Electroless Nickel for some years (since =
about=20
  > 1996). This plating is harden-able, and it plates with a uniform=20
  > thickness in the string holes. Normal electoplating won't result in =
a=20
  > uniform build-up of plating in the holes, which is why Chrome isn't =
a=20
  > viable alternative plating material. Electroless Nickel plating is a =

  > process which, once started, is a purely chemical plating process.=20
  > This is why it results in a useful build of plating in the holes.
  >=20
  > For the most recently remanufactured piano we built, I decided to =
try=20
  > just shaping the brass agraffe holes without plating and hardening.=20
  > The results were very disappointing. The best results we have had to =

  > date are when the agraffes are Electonickel plated. We've been=20
  > getting them plated with a thickness of 0.05 mm (2 thou). The next=20
  > set we do will be plated with 0.75 mm to increase the strength of =
the=20
  > plated surface. I have been suspicious that the plating is on=20
  > occasion collapsing and flaking off, due to collapse of the soft=20
  > brass substrate.

  Ron - a typo? Do you mean the new plating thickness will be 0.075 mm =
(3 thou)?

  Why then not make a agraffe out of steel or some other harder =
material? That may be difficult for the one-off small-shop piano =
builder, but if there were a demand to others..... Why would this be so =
difficult? Why would brass persist so long?

  Why not use other termination types like a capo-type bar in all string =
sections like you see on cheap old American microgrands? What about =
something more like an upright pressure bar arrangement?
  =20
  SNIP
  =20
  >>Here's my question:  A vibrating string has two terminations.  It is =

  >>excited in the northern direction.  (Ignore the strike point)  What=20
  >>effect on tone will be the termination of the two ends of the=20
  >>string????? Both north, one north and the other south, east or=20
  >>west????   Or no big difference??
  >>
  >>I have recently found plans on the net to build an led stroboscope.=20
  >>I will build this and look at a string under vibration. I could=20
  >>stretch a wire across my garage and look at it with different=20
  >>terminations.
  >>
  >>If some of you deep thinkers have an answer to my question that=20
  >>makes common sense, I won't have to do this.  Give me your feedback.
  >=20
  > It is a worthy field of investigation Carl. Conventional bridge pins =

  > suffer severe damage at the termination point. An intermediate=20
  > solution would be hardened bridge pins, but it will be a costly=20
  > exercise.

  Hardened bridge pins would be costly? I can see such an argument from =
a Chinese manufacturer, but from a famous American or European =
manufacturer who "spares no expense to create an uncompromised =
instrument?" I realize that if a pin costs a nickel or dime rather than =
two cents, times 500 pins, that would increase the cost of building the =
piano by $15 - $40....... or am I missing something? Or are the =
upper-end larger, uncompromising, manufacturers really that cheap?


  You would ask a question like that.   The answer is yes, yes and yes.

  It all started with the bird cage pianos.  They only play cheep music.

  Carl Meyer PTG assoc
  Santa Clara, Ca.

  Terry Farrell
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