Hello Ron, My name is Mark Perry. I have built my first concert grand in Virginia USA from scratch this year. I have been wanting to talk to you about your piano shop! There is a man in Australia who wishes to purchase hand-carved legs and a lyre from my shop. I told him I could help him if he could get more orders so we can save on shipping. Please take a look at my website at www.carvedpianoparts.com and consider letting me design and hand-carve a set of custom OVERS-legs. Also, take a look at the new piano if you would. It is an 8'2" concert grand, and the pictures on the web-site are 1 year old.... so I need to update all of that. anywho, have a nice day. Mark Perry > Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:20:49 +1000 > To: pianotech at ptg.org > From: sec at overspianos.com.au > Subject: Re: [pianotech] bass strings installation > > JD, > > Thanks for contributing this post. > > Please read JD's post everyone if you're unsure about > > For Australian made strings the twist is > anticlockwise when viewing the wire from the > hitch pin end. On Yamaha and Kawai the twist is > clockwise. The direction depends on the end from > which the string-winder starts to wrap. > > This is a most important step and cannot be > passed over without dire tonal consequences over > the longer term. > > One other point I would like to add is that the > amount of twist which the copper inflicts upon > the core when it is taken off the winding machine > will vary considerably in response to the overall > string length and the combination of core and > cover diameters. Ideally, the amount of > installation twist should be the equivalent of > the twist which is put into the core wire when > the string is removed from the winding machine. > > For our 225 piano we asked our string winder, Lou > Parke, to record the twist on each wire as it > came of his machine, so that we could twist the > strings to their optimum number of turns when > installing them. Note also that the string, when > at pitch, will have less twist than that which > you put into the string when you install it. The > reason for this is that when the coil is being > formed, as the string comes up to pitch, there is > considerable wire deformation going on at the > tangent where the wire meets the tuning pin. The > torque from the twisted wire will tend to > encourage the core wire to untwist the core as it > wraps around to tuning pin. So in end the twist > in the core will be something less than that > which we put into before placing the eye on the > hitch. > > Ron O. > > > > >At 15:34 -0500 23/4/09, Porritt, David wrote: > > > >>I generally don't twist bass strings. If I > >>install one and it sounds like it needs a twist > >>I'll do it, that of course makes an extra step > >>but if I had very many that need twisting, I'd > >>contemplate a different string maker. I think > >>well made bass strings shouldn't need twisting. > > > >It's not as simple as that. > > > >It is true that with certain special exceptions, > >which I won't go into, a well made string will > >not buzz or sound bad if you don't twist it, > >but, as I've explained at least twice before on > >this list of very short memories, if you do not > >twist the string then you are putting on twisted > >strings, and twisted in the wrong direction at > >that. > > > >There may be one or two over-enthusiastic > >stringmakers in the world who pre-twist the > >steel core on the machine before winding, but it > >is a rather pointless exercise in a market that > >generally speaking has learned to twist covered > >strings on installation. > > > >When the steel core is hitched to the pin end of > >the machine, clamped in the chuck end and > >tensioned, it is, of course in equilibrium, not > >twisted. The copper is then wound on to the > >steel, and this copper is held under tension > >during its whole journey from the flattening at > >one end to the flattening at the other. It is > >therefore exerting a twisting force on the core > >wire. > > > >The wire cannot twist while it is clamped in the > >chuck, but as soon as the string is released > >from the machine, the copper will release as > >much of its stress as it can by twisting the > >core wire. The degree to which it will twist > >the core is dependent on the thickness of the > >core and the amount of stress in the copper. > >There are extreme cases (which I said I wouldn't > >go into!) where, even though the stringmaker has > >applied the proper maximum tension to the copper > >during winding, the thinness of the core > >combined with a heavy cover exerting a strong > >twisting force leads to too great a release of > >tension in the copper, accompanied by > >considerable twisting of the core, and the > >result is that the string will actually buzz if > >it is not twisted on installation. Several > >Blüthner models have such strings, but they are > >rare. > > > >There is a limit to the tension the stringmaker > >can give to the copper, because, in the case of > >thin copper the copper will break and in the > >case of thin cores and heavy covers, the eye or > >the chucked end will break. The stringmaker > >learns from experience the maximum proper pull > >for each combination. > > > >On the other hand the stringer is not so > >limited. What is simply not possible for the > >stringmaker can be added by the stringer not > >only to _restore_ but to _increase_ the tension > >of the copper winding. What _must_ be done is > >to _restore_ the stringmaker's tension by > >twisting the string say half a turn to undo the > >twist it got when it left the machine, and what > >is better is to increase the tension by twisting > >yet more. No matter what blessed stringmaker > >made the strings, the sound will improve by > >twisting them. > > > > > >To answer the original question, if the winding > >goes like this ////// you twist clockwise and if > >it goes like this \\\\\\ you twist > >anti-clockwise. > > > >JD -- Stringmaker > > > >-- > >______________________________________________________________________ > > Delacour Pianos * Silo * Deverel Farm * Milborne St. Andrew > > Dorset DT11 0HX * England > > Phone: +44 1202 731031 > > Mobile: +44 7801 310 689 * Fax: +44 870 705 3241 > >______________________________________________________________________ > > > -- > OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY > Grand Piano Manufacturers > _______________________ > > Web http://overspianos.com.au > mailto:ron at overspianos.com.au > _______________________ > _________________________________________________________________ Rediscover Hotmail®: Get e-mail storage that grows with you. http://windowslive.com/RediscoverHotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Rediscover_Storage2_042009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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