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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Erwinspiano@aol.com
href="mailto:Erwinspiano@aol.com">Erwinspiano@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> October 17, 2003 9:13 =
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Private =
post/Steinway Tone
Bell</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 =
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=#000040></FONT>
<DIV><BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 =
size=3
FAMILY="SERIF"><B> The bell is just a plate stiffening device. =
A short
beam from the belly rail to the case in the same area would allow for =
another
nose bolt that could take the place of the bell. I cant say the bell =
has any
effect in and of itself to influence tone but does stiffen the plate =
web where
it attaches thereby influencing tone. There must be a modest down =
force
of the bell bolt to do so which by the way will increase the =
downbearing a
small amount (tone effect) These bolts also seem to come loose =
from time
to time and cause a weird rattle.</B></FONT></DIV><STRONG><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 =
size=3></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 =
size=3>Take the coupling
bolt out of a D sometime and listen to what happens to sustain through =
that
area.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 size=3
FAMILY="SERIF"><B> Does that help?--Dale</B></FONT><FONT =
face=Geneva
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR></DIV>
<DIV></FONT><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2 =
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Geneva color=#000000 size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> This reference to the =
"bell"
brings to mind a question I have long had. S&S piano plates are =
sometimes
billed as cupola plates. Does this refer to the shape of the stress =
holes in
the plate, or to Steinway's use of a shop cupola furnace to produce =
sufficient
amounts of molten iron for the larger plate ?</FONT><FONT =
face=Geneva
color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" =
color=#000040></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040> <FONT
size=3><STRONG> Glenn</STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040 =
size=3><STRONG> I
don't know. Anybody else? I thought that term was used in =
reference to
the bass bridges on S&S uprights or have I got it ALL
wrong?</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000040
size=3><STRONG> =
Dale</STRONG></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 size=3>It =
is a reference
to the shape of the plate in cross-section. Among other meanings =
this is an
architectural term meaning a "dome-shaped roof" or a "dome on the roof." =
The
hitchpin panel and the outer bolt flange are in one plane and the =
section
between "domes" up in the shape of a cupola. The idea was to stiffen the =
plate
and help keep it from twisting. I suspect it was introduced as part of =
the
transition from earlier flat-strung scaling (with its more-or-less =
parallel
lines of stress) to overstrung scaling which introduced quite a lot of
torsional, or twisting, stress. Considering some of the iron being =
poured
at the time -- some with tensile strengths as low as 12,000 to 15,000 =
lbs/in2 --
it is understandable why they might have considered many ways to =
increase the
stiffness of the plate..</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080 =
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#000080
size=3>Del</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>