I have a Fujan carbon fiber lever; it is great. If you want the stiffest lever, the Fujan carbon fiber is probably it. I also have the new Faulk carbon fiber aluminum lever; it is also great, exceedingly stiff, much more than stiff enough to tune any piano, and is a thing of supreme beauty. There are many variables in levers, all of which affect usability. The shape of the handle and how the lever fits in your hand. The weight and balance. The working length. The angle and construction of the head. And, the fit of the _TIP_. Day to day, I wonder if it isn't the fit of the tip that makes as big a difference as any of the other variables. I've been playing with tips this week. One of the worst tips I have is a Watanabe #2; one of the best tips I have and the one I am currently using all day long is, uh, another Watanabe #2. I also have a very usable Jahn tip, and several very nice Hale tips. Each tip should be tested individually. Take your tip(s) off your lever(s) and place them individually on tuning pins, checking for solid fit with as little rocking as possible. You may be surprised. Kent On Mar 25, 2009, at 2:55 PM, John Formsma wrote: > I'd posted this a few days ago, but maybe it got buried in Inboxes. > I'm particularly interested in those who've used the Fujan CF lever, > and their comparisons to the new Faulk lever. Also, engineers- > turned-piano techs who contribute to the list -- any input on my > questions below about deflection/flex? > > -- > JF > > ************* > Posted 3/22/09 > David [Andersen], you've used the Fujan, right? How does the new > Faulk compare? > > I'm not seeing how it could be stiffer than a hollow CF tube the > diameter of a Fujan (or Gluzman). Rigidity comes from the large > diameter of the hollow cylinder -- not from the fact that it's > merely a CF rod. The smaller the CF rod or tube, the more flex it > will have. > > In other words, even if you do put a 1/2" CF rod in a 5/8" hollow > aluminum tube -- it still isn't as stiff as a Fujan. Unless there > is some (unknown-to-me) coupling effect from the two used together. > And unless it's made quite a bit shorter. If it's shorter, there > won't be as much noticeable flex. But then, you'd get that same > effect in greater proportion with the larger diameter CF tube if you > used a shorter piece there. > > I'm haven't seen a new Faulk lever yet. Nor do I know the actual > dimensions of the materials used. (I'm not an engineer, but I've > played around with some numbers some time ago.) I know it's all > about how it feels; numbers don't tell everything, but they do help. > > I await enlightenment. <G> > > -- > JF -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090325/3db8809f/attachment.html>
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