<HTML> In a message dated 10/24/03 9:05:49 AM, pianobuilders@olynet.com writes: <BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE"> = There is quite a difference between a kink in the wire -- i.e., abruptly ben= ding the wire enough to take the steel beyond its proportional limit and put= ting a permanent bend in the wire -- and the gentle curve observed in th= e wire as it approaches its termination. The extent of this curve is a funct= ion of the string's stiffness (its diameter) and the string deflection angle= as it passes either through the agraffe or across the V-bar. This bend appe= ars because music wire is not perfectly flexible, not because the stringer i= s putting a kink in the wire. A similar, though milder bend can seen as th= e wire approaches the bridge pin offset. Both of these tend to dissipate ove= r time. Or they can be straightened out by one of several string leveling te= chniques. (Check the archives for string leveling.) Indeed, in most shops, t= his string leveling is done as a normal part of the stringing operation. Not= so much because "a straighter wire gives truer harmonics," but because we w= ant the hammer to strike all of the strings of the unison simultaneously.</F= ONT>= = Del </BLOCKQUOTE> Exactly, agree on all points, and I especially like the observation that wir= e is not perfectly elastic, and of course simultaneous unison strike is para= mount considering the jarring clang if not, so-......  the gentle curv= e to termination takes away no sound quality from the string ? This is my pr= imary question. Some techs attribute a better sound as the piano ages away t= his curve, I'm not sure. What about that ? regards Glenn C.</HTML>