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<DIV><FONT size=3>I also have an interest in learning how to improve upright
action touchweight.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>I have done much the same as you write Fenton, but I have on
some instruments gone so far as to do a Stanwood-type Strike Weight
evening/tapering and even/taper out key Front Weights the Stanwood-type way,
i.e. where one eliminates friction from the process. I use a number of sample
notes, get the friction as close to target as possible, then evaluate what kind
of leading is optimal (DW/UW). Then I take the keys out and put them on the
Stanwood-type touchweight stand and weight off FWs to get an even
taping on them. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>After all that, one still may have some inconsistencies in
touchweight, which I even out with minor hammer butt spring tension adjustments.
I figure this process gets you something like the Stanwood-type optimized grand
action - the hammers and keys are all nicely weight evened/tapered, and any
touchweight anomalies can be easily rectified by getting friction back into the
optimal zone and/or regulating butt spring tension.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Not sure this the most optimal way to go, but it seems like
the closest approach I could find to evening out touchweight on an action, and
retain the ability to correct it in the future very easily through friction
(first/preferably) and butt spring regulation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>I haven't done this process on any Gulbranson
spinets. ;-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><FONT
size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>>In general, is installing weights in upright keys a corrective
remedy?</DIV>
<DIV>Depends on the situation. (Always a good answer.)</DIV>
<DIV>>If so, is to correct due to <EM>wear </EM>problems
or to <EM>improve upon original factory specs</EM>? </DIV>
<DIV>Probably not wear, that would be a fine adjust. Factory spec? Well, yea.
Or to change it to you or the customers liking, as in custom(er) work. </DIV>
<DIV>>What do weights in an upright correct?</DIV>
<DIV>OK, what we want is a specific balance weight (bw). at least I do. Given
a certain friction in the piano we are going to want to set up something like
maybe a downweight (dw) of 50 and an upwight (uw) of 25. All numbers in grams.
This is assuming a friction of 12.5.</DIV>
<DIV>DW-UW(2)=Friction. This is done my adding or subtracting weights in the
key to achieve the numbers you want. This is heady stuff, Julia, if you
haven't gotten into it before. But, it's easy if you just sit at the keyboard
with some gram wts and move around lead key wts on the top of the key to get
certain results. </DIV>
<DIV>But back to what do the weight in an upright correct. Uprights usually
need wt at the back of the key. Some of them had no wts installed. An easy
upgrade is to add wt to the back of the key to achieve, let's say, 25 grams of
upweight at each key. A lot of spinet and console pianos will really benefit
from this. This work was not done at the factory.</DIV>
<DIV>Hope this helps.</DIV>
<DIV>Fenton</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>