questions, etc.

[Annie Grieshop]

Flowerpot humidifer update:  RH dropped into the 80s last night but is back
in the mid-90s this morning, 2-1/2+ days since the 5-minute immersion.  The
house is dry enough that the cats won't let me pet 'em, but I'm expecting
rain inside that box!

As for the Starck action:  it's a big ol' upright, so no drop action.  The
owner has suggested I ask for assistance, so if anybody wants the job
(western IA), just let me know -- I'd be happy to pass it along to someone
else.  (Actually, I wouldn't, as I really want to be able to say I fixed it
right -- but I'd be overjoyed to get some recommendations on how to proceed,
as I really am stumped.)

Ooooh, Conrad, I'm glad I'm not up in Decorah.  We haven't gotten much
below -11 yet, as far as I know.

Annie Grieshop

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org]On
> Behalf Of RicB
> Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 1:57 AM
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Subject: questions, etc.
>
>
> Hi Annie
>
>     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.
>
> Not a bad idea, tho a plastic box is kind of a sealed environment and
> wont allow any humidity to escape. I would imagine that even in a small
> room the pot would give off its humidity to the room quite quickly,
> which in turn would (somewhat more slowly) distribute it to the rest of
> the world.   Still.. a big enough pot complete with dirt and a plant
> would have an effect... and a few such potted plants would have more.
> An idea I often suggest is a fair sized aquarium with the glass top
> removed.  In a 15 m^3 room, a 250 litre aquarium will have a very
> positive affect.... grin.. course you have to like fish !
>
>
>
>     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?
>
> Actually, I used to have this problem years ago. Especially in slight
> pitch changes downwards.  But I find that if I treat the tuning exactly
> as a pitch raise, i.e. lowering about a 3rd more of the distance then
> the distance between starting pitch and target pitch,  that I end up
> just about exactly where I want to every time for the second pass.  I
> dont like to speculate as to reasons for why things happen much. But I
> can say that if you tune a pitch raise like Dean Reyburn recommends,
> i.e. starting at the bass, using his pitch overpull and tuning
> chromatically upwards you will get the same kind of results... even
> better. BUT... if you use the same pitch overpull he contrived and tune
> octaves chromatically... then on the second pass you will find the lower
> notes of your chromatic octave have dropped back quite a bit more then
> the notes at the top of the chromatic octave.  Kind of speaks to me of a
> system wide stress reaction and not some particular component reacting.
>
>
> Cant help you on the last question.. Billings flanges is not something
> we see a lot over here... and thankfully drop actions is not something
> I've had to deal with for around 30 years :)
>
> I do remember tho that ofte times these actions did suffer the kind of
> symptom you relate.  I was too young and dumb to know what to do back
> then... but over exageration of friction reduction measures worked.
> Probably not the thing to do tho.
>
> Cheers
> RicB
>
>     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
>
>
>
>
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