[pianotech] Bluthner soundboard problems?

David Boyce David at piano.plus.com
Thu Jan 7 15:29:50 MST 2010


Since we've been talking a lot about glues lately (PVC-E and so on), 
what I want someone to invent for my customer's Bluthner, sigh, is:

 A magic liquid glue which can neatly be fed into a hairline soundboard 
crack with a hypo oiler, and whose molecules have arms of Samson, which 
will grab each side of the crack, and drag the two sides resolutely 
together and hold them there, and the body of the molecules filling any 
remaining gaps solidly and with the same acoustical properties as spruce.

It's not much to ask, is it??

Best regards,

David Boyce.
> In the meantime, I would appreciate advice about what might be done 
> with the soundboard?  The very narrow splits are not nearly wide 
> enough to shim.  What, if anything, might be done?

 >I've never seen a split or crack that was "wide enough to shim".  You 
have to make it wide enough by dragging out wood to provide a narrow 
V-shaped groove to press the sliver into, and the best time to do the 
work is >when the soundboard has as low moisture content as it will ever 
experience. -- like right now in Scotland, for instance.  But this work, 
from the look of your pictures can't be done properly without removing 
the iron frame.

 >JD


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