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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I meant a 9 gram hammer weight.
Strike weight would be plus the shank. At note 1 I am generally in the 9 –
9.5 grams hammer weight. Add 1.8 grams to get the strike weight on
average with a Renner shank. Your 10 gram hammer producing a 11.9 </span></font><font
size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>SW</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> at note 16 is easily a
full gram higher than I would normally go. I don’t use the smart chart,
btw, I use what the set wants to give me. If the curve deviates somewhat
from the Smart Chart curve I don’t sweat it or jump through hoops to
manipulate. It’s a theoretical curve anyway. The shape should
fall in some range heavier to lighter but the exact shape can vary
somewhat. There are times when a heavier </span></font><font size=2
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>SW</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> is desirable such as
when the sounboard/rib assembly is quite heavy and you need more mass.
You won’t have that problem on one of </span></font><font size=2
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'>Del</span></font><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>’s designs.
The boards are very responsive. If you are using Ronsen hammers with
light maple moulding, you should be able to achieve the desired weight with only
modest tapering. Though each set varies somewhat they are generally not
that heavy to begin with. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Advice earlier about the width of the
flange is important if your piano has that problem—not all of them
do. As I see the data you put in, a medium weight hammer with at 17 mm
flange will not produce any BW/FW conflicts. Alignment, convergence and
all that is another issue that should be analyzed carefully but a move from 16
to 17 mm will not create any problems there anyway. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I save the 18mm hanging for action
disasters that can’t be addressed any other way for whatever
reason. I don’t prefer it and if you go with an 18 mm knuckle you
must have more substantial hammer weights or you can have problems. Actions
such as Ron Overs (from Reno), which had 20 mm hanging had very heavy hammers
which were, I presume, needed for the soundboard assembly design as well as to
function properly with the 20 mm hanging. There can be similar problems
if the hammer gets too light with a 17 mm knuckle. You can see this if
you’ve ever switched out a very light original Steinway hammer onto a 17
mm hanging (DAMHIK). What I have suggested, however, doesn’t
approach that. Each knuckle hanging, in my view, has an optimum range of
hammer weights associated with it. I’ve never really tried to
figure out exactly what that is but basically the shorter the hanging the
lighter the hammer and vice versa. Compensating for a short knuckle
hanging with a heavy hammer by having a low key ratio doesn’t produce as
nice a feeling action as properly matching the knuckle placement with the
hammer weight. It probably has something to do with inertia with a short
knuckle hanging/heavy hammer, and speed of return and a tendency toward
bouncing hammers with a long knuckle hanging and lighter hammer, but I’ve
never tried to quantify it. Anyway, with a 16 (or 15.5) hanging I try to
keep the hammer pretty light. As the knuckle moves out, the hammer should
get heavier—at least under ideal circumstances. </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:navy'>David Love<br>
davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br>
www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>
</span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
[mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf
Of </span></b></span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Farrell</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, July 04, 2007
1:20 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Pianotech List</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: Action Ratio and Dip
and Blow and Etc.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Hi David. Thanks for your input. I
have a couple questions about hammer mass with Del-designed bellies. I did some
experimenting with note #40. The picture you are referring to was actually
note #16, not #20 - but that doesn't really matter. You are suggesting a SW for
note 20 of 9g or maybe even a little less. That's a light hammer! But then,
your reasoning may be right on, considering the new efficient Del-designed
belly in this piano. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Do you set your hammer weights using
Stanwood's Smart Chart SW curves? A 9g SW for note #20 falls about 2/3 of the
way up from the extreme light curve to the light-medium curve. Staying on the
same curve, note #40 should have a SW of about 8.0g or 8.1g, according to the
Stanwood curves. That curve would have and A0 SW of about 9.5g and a C88 SW of
about 4.2g. Is that what you are thinking? I realize, of course, these Stanwood
curves are nothing set in stone - a particular piano may do better with a curve
that crosses into other zones on Stanwood's Smart Chart. What SW curves
do you find working best with Del's designs? What kind of hammers are you
favoring? Probably a Ronson. With what kind of felt?</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Note #40 originally had four 12g
leads in it. I put a 17mm knuckle and an 8g SW hammer on - popped out the two leads
closest to the key front and measured DW - it is now less than 50g. If a light
SW range works well for this piano belly, it would seem my problems are pretty
close to over. </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Part of my initial confusion may
also be related to info on the Abel shank/knuckle data. They offer two
shank/knuckle/flange assemblies for old Knabes - their data indicates that one
has an 18mm core-to-center distance, and the other is 17mm. The shank
assemblies I received from Brooks have a 16mm distance. I'm not sure why. I'll
give Wally a jingle on Friday.</span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Terry Farrell</span></font></p>
</div>
<blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid black 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt;
margin-left:3.75pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.0pt'>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Personally, I don’t
like going to 18 mm for the knuckle. If you do, consider repinning the
balancier flange so you can put more tension on the rep spring.
Otherwise, you will have to regulate it too close to the edge and the jack
return can suffer. If the picture below indicates the strike weight of
note 20 at 11.9 grams, I’d use a lighter hammer. I don’t see
why you need a 10 gram hammer at note 20. Nine grams should be plenty for
your 6’4” Knabe with new and sensitive soundboard and you could
probably go even lighter. Moving the knuckle (better to have bought the
shank with the correct knuckle to begin with) to 17 mm and taking 1 gram off
the hammer you will achieve approximately the same goal as moving the knuckle
to 18 mm (maybe a little better in fact). You won’t have to
compromise jack angle either. To figure out how much lead you can remove
it is 1:1 inverse ratio FW: BW. So if you want to add 6 grams of balance
weight you subtract 6 grams of FW. (Makes sense, right? You take
lead out of the key and the touchweight gets heavier.) That’s a 12
gram lead located in the middle of the keystick (between front and balance
rail). Don’t get too hung up on 3-2-1-0 configuration.
You’re slightly better off with a 4-3-2-1 set up with the leads moved
closer to the balance rail. </span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>SNIP</span></font></p>
<div>
<p style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>David Love</span></font></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
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