questions, etc.

[Pianoman]

Hi Annie,
My own theory on pitch raising and lowering has to do with the soundboard 
catching up with the pitch change in the wire.  I believe the soundboard 
takes at least hours to conform to the new tension (whether higher or lower) 
and regardless of how much in one sitting you change the pitch to stabilize 
it will still change more because of the inability of the soundboard to 
adopt to the new tension level that quickly.  That is why on pitch raises 
(over 25c) I come back in 2 weeks after to retune..
James
James Grebe   Piano Tuning & Repair   Member of Master Piano Technicians.
Registered Piano Technician of the Piano Technicians Guild for over 30 
years.   "Member of the Year" in 1989
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups, Piano Benches, Writing 
Instruments,Table Timepieces
 (314) 608-4137   1526 Raspberry Lane   Arnold, MO 63010
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Annie Grieshop" <annie at allthingspiano.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 1:04 PM
Subject: questions, etc.


> Good morning!  I'm starting to feel like one of those pain-inna-butt
> neighbors on a sitcom, the ones who pop in and out of the story line, just
> to cause trouble (or, hopefully, give a laugh or two), so I apologize in
> advance for not being a very faithful correspondent.
>
> I have one contribution to make and two questions to ask.  Oh, and I need 
> to
> add (in re the question about action/touch changing when a piano is tuned)
> that I have experienced that, myself, so I don't doubt the customer's
> observation, at all.  I'm still trying to figure out what it is (and I 
> think
> it has to do with proper tension and being beat up), but I will agree that
> it happens.
>
> Anyway, onward (with apologies in advance for verbosity <g>):
>
> 1)  A friend asked for suggestions on solving dryness problems in his
> concertina.  After some discussion, it occured to me that a soaked clay
> flower pot in a closed container should work like a humidifier in a 
> humidor,
> adding moisture without dampness.  To test it out, I soaked a 2" clay pot 
> in
> cold water for 5 minutes, patted it dry, and then put it in a flip-lid
> plastic box (12x18x10) with a hygrometer.  The initial humidity in the box
> was 33% -- the same as my house right now, given the heat demands of this
> cold spell (aaargh!).  An hour later, the interior RH of the box was 66%.
> And 15 hours later, it's 92%.  The interior temp has not changed more than 
> a
> degree or two the entire time.
>
> I started this email on Sunday evening, and here it is Tuesday afternoon, 
> so
> I used the time lapse to do more checking on my flowerpot humidifier. 
> After
> 72 hours, the internal humidity remained at 95%, with the temp still
> hovering around 56 degrees (have I mentioned that my house is pretty
> chilly?) -- so I opened the cover of the box for 30 minutes, thinking that
> maybe it was just better-sealed than I thought.  The RH dropped to 35%, 
> the
> same as the rest of the house.  And when I closed the box back up, the RH
> returned to 95% within 45 minutes.  There's still no sign of any moisture
> anywhere in the box, so the flowerpot is hanging on to what it absorbed...
> but it sure is humidifying that box!
>
> What, if any application this might have for anyone else, I don't know --
> but it's all yours.  I'm thinking about hanging a whole row of 'em under 
> my
> grand....
>
> And now for my questions, the first of which is somewhat idle, while the
> second is of Very Active Interest to me:
>
> 2)  Question one:  is a pitch lowering likely to be less stable than a 
> pitch
> raise, in your experience?  I have observed that when I have to lower the
> pitch on a piano (because of environmental moisture), it's more likely to 
> go
> back sharp again, regardless of whether I tune it once or thrice.  My
> hypothesis is that the string tension is keeping the piano from swelling 
> as
> much as it could -- and so lowering the string tension allows/encourages 
> the
> piano to swell more, thus raising the pitch again.  It's like taking off a
> pair of shoes that're too tight -- your feet swell up in response.  So, am 
> I
> hallucinating?  Has anyone else noticed this?
>
> 3)  Question two:  I'm rebuilding a 1916 Starck vertical (with Billing
> flanges) and have rebushed the keys and replaced hammer/jack springs, 
> bridle
> straps, and felt (including hammers) in the action.  All flanges/pins are
> free but not sloppy.  I can't find have any technical data on this piano,
> but I have regulated it to the general old-upright standards, and each 
> note
> feels/plays pretty darned well.  So I think I'm safely within acceptable
> limits.
>
> Except (and I realize this is a direct contradiction to the previous
> statement) that the action, as a whole, feels as though it is continuously
> shifting and changing.  A note that repeats beautifully 20 times will 
> stick
> the 21st.  Intermittent non-repetition is the single biggest problem.
>
> Key height/dip/easing, lost motion, let off, checking, and aftertouch are
> all within the proper ranges, and damper timing is acceptable.  I've
> lessened the tension on the hammerbutt springs a bit, thinking that they
> were too strong for the jack springs, and that did help some.  I also 
> tried
> running some material under the hammerbutt leather on the note that makes 
> me
> most crazy (A4, of course)... and it made the problem worse.  I suspect 
> that
> the material I used was too soft, thereby hanging up the jack even worse
> than the worn leather.
>
> Some things I have noticed: the capstans are not all centered in the keys.
> And (consequently?) some stickers are not quite vertical (I can adjust 
> them
> to vertical, but they won't stay).  Those are the notes most likely to
> stick.  The jack flanges are not noticeably crooked when compared with the
> wippens, as that was one suggestion, but the hammerbutt leather has almost
> no curve left to it.  So, the only thing I can think left to do is to
> replace the hammer butt leather.
>
> So the question(s):  am I overlooking something else?  what are the tricks
> to replacing hammerbutt leather?  does anyone have specifications?
>
> Oh, and I forgot to mention, the piano is 200 miles from my home, so it's
> not like I can just go next door and try something.  (Yes, I do realize
> (now) how stupid that is.  Just as I am no longer "allowed" to choose my 
> own
> boyfriends, I am also barred from choosing my own rebuild projects in the
> future.  All candidates must be submitted to The Committee.......... <g>)
>
> Thank you, thank you, thank you all -- and I look forward to comments and
> suggestions!
>
> Annie Grieshop
> www.allthingspiano.com
>
>
>