<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: California Convention--10 ft 2" Fazioli</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <STYLE type=text/css>BLOCKQUOTE { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } DL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } UL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } OL { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } LI { PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px } </STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2523" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT = face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> = pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Cy Shuster<BR><B>Sent:</B> January 16, 2005 7:22 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: California Convention--10 ft 2" Fazioli<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Don't know if it's steel, but I ran across this = article about Del and his plans to use a steel plate in future (written in 2003):</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><A = href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/137253_pianoman02.html">h= ttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/137253_pianoman02.html</A></FONT><= /DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>How is resonance controlled in such a bell-like material?  Isn't cast iron desirable because it is acoustically = "dead", dampening vibration rather than acting like another soundboard and = creating possible false beats?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>--Cy Shuster--</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Bluefield, WV</FONT><SPAN = class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3> </FONT></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>I've written about this at length several times in the = past (and will be talking about it next month in Sacramento)</FONT> <FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080>but, briefly:</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>None of us have a whole lot of experience with steel = plates. My standard reply when this question comes up is, "How many pianos with = steel plates have you worked on and has this been a problem with any of them?" = My own experience has been limited to building a few prototype and experimental = pianos in R&D labs. None in production. But I have never had a problem with = ringing in any part of the plate. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>Conventional Wisdom teaches us that gray iron (there are = many types of <EM>cast iron, </EM>we are mostly concerned with just one = type and that is <EM>gray iron</EM>) is desirable because one of its = characteristics is its high damping factor. This is a desirable quality if one is building = a machine base or an engine block where it is desirable to absorb as much vibrating energy as possible, converting it into heat. But this is not, = or at least should not be, one of the function of the piano plate. Here the = idea is to keep as much energy as possible retained in the string(s) for use by the = soundboard assembly.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>Steel has many potential benefits when considered as a = potential material for piano plates: it has much greater stiffness, it has some = degree of plasticity when stressed beyond it proportional limit (it bends rather = than shatters), it does not absorb energy, etc. </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>It is sometimes useful to remember that from time to = time Convention Wisdom is an idiot.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><SPAN class=375515613-17012005><FONT face="Comic Sans = MS" color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>