<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2722.900" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Stephen</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Am I alowed to ask a kind of stupid = question ?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>How do you measure the crown on the top = of the board ?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>(I am interested)</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Stéphane Collin.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=sbellieu@mindspring.com = href="mailto:sbellieu@mindspring.com">Stephen Bellieu</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 19, = 2002 1:00 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Bridgetop = Extravaganza Revisited</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Greg,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    It's definitely = quartersawn.  I don't think it's a candidate for recapping for two reasons.  The = board is dead flat across the bass bridge and lower tenor bridge (as measured = from the top and confirmed on the bottom).  Also I have learned the piano = was purchased by the client new some 16 yrs ago.  I have no intention = of condemning this piano.  It sounded ok before.  Not = spectacular bass but I have heard much worse.  I'm anticipating tight new = bridge pins are going to contribute to tonal improvement up higher.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    I'm wondering about the bearing = in the bottom of the piano.  How it was originally set.  Strung it showed a full 1.5 deg across the bass bridge and almost = nothing on the bottom two feet of the tenor bridge.(also no front bearing in = both of these locations)  Is this what flattened out the tail ? =  If I relieve some of the bearing across the bass bridge will this improve = the situation?  I'm used to seeing older pianos with little bearing = on the bass bridge.  Opinions?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Steve Bellieu</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>P.S.  Thanks for all the welcomes.  I = know some of you and recognize lots of other names from Journal articles and tips.</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=gnewell@ameritech.net = href="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net">Greg Newell</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 18, = 2002 12:32 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Bridgetop = Extravaganza Revisited</DIV> = <DIV><BR></DIV>Steve,<BR><X-TAB>      &nbsp= ; </X-TAB>Now that you've decided to pull the plate I would strongly recommend = simply recapping the bridge with quarter sawn material unlike the flat sawn = junk you'll be removing. I' ve never seen quarter sawn material dented as = badly as you describe, even by well meaning newbies with a hammer and = screwdriver. A couple runners on the router and skin off the old cap. Put on a = quarter sawn cap of good solid material. Re - drill, notch and restring. = I'll lay odds you'll be greatly pleased with the result!!!<BR><BR>Greg Newell<BR><BR>P.S. Welcome to the list!!!<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>At = 05:13 AM 12/18/2002, you wrote:<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class=cite cite="" type="cite"><FONT = size=2>    Hi All,  </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>Just joined,  first = post to this or any other group.  Serendipitous timing, just read all = the recent bridgetop/ bridgepin posts.  Have a 1985 Stwy D in the = shop for action overhaul and restring.  I thought I was noticeing something funny about the bridges but was in denial until I = started taking all the teardown notes.  The plain wire strings have been = pounded (seated) into the bridge so that at the edges there is more wire = diameter below the bridge top than above it.  When viewed from the = side the wire makes a pronounced curve up onto the bridge and down again = out the rear making accurate component readings impossible to do from on = top of the wire.  It was showing negative front bearing until I = realized what was happening and started using the actual bridgetop as reference.  Situation is most severe at capo sections and = diminishes down to what looks like normal grooves to me under the bass = strings.  Deflection in strung piano is .5 deg at bottom of low capo,  = 1-1.5 deg rest of capo sweeping up to 2.5 deg at note 88.  There is = .250" crown at low capo.  (measured from top of board)  </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>    Is it possible this = condition is due to the quality of the capping material?   I = usually work on much older instruments.  I have never seen string cuts = like this.  Also the various pressures have caused dead wood to = swell up and check here and there around the terminations.  Again I'm = not used to seeing this.  Inspection of the pins under magnification = shows the string resided in two distinct locations.   My = theory:  Pre- and Post Pounding.  There are also a lot of = unexplainable nicks on the side of the pins.  The pins pull out easily.  No = cracks to speak of.  This is an institutional piano which has = probably been in Southern California its whole life.</FONT><BR><FONT size=2>    What I'm thinking about doing is = similar to what Dale Erwin just posted.  I've never done the epoxy bridge = thing but I'm familiar with the nasty stuff. I'm imagining thickening it = enough with colloidal silica so it won't run down the notches or too much into = the holes and applying it with a small spatula.  I want to fill = those deep grooves (at least on the speaking side) and then sand the top = flat.  If I put the stuff on in the morning can I = pare/renotch and redrill at the end of the day before it gets too hard and while I = can still find the original holes? </FONT><BR><FONT = size=2>    Looking forward to peoples responses.</FONT><BR> <BR><FONT size=2>    I want to stop using the misnomer = "string seating" in favor of wire straightening (or something = similar)  which is what I do at a low lateral angle (around the bridges = anyway).  I have never been convinced of the need of downward tapping pressure = at the bridges.  For some reason this is one of the first things new = technicians are taught and the thought of them going around with = little hammers and pounding on pianos scares me.  We straighten wire = for control of damper and hammer contact and for quick stabilization = of new strings.  Perhaps having the wire come straight out of the = bridge helps the string to vibrate in a more perpendicular plane = even.  I don't really know.  After you take a few pianos apart you = find that even in a negative bearing situation the angled pins hold the = string tight to the bridge.  If there is so much negative bearing that = they don't then no amount of pounding will hold them there.  But I guess = that is another thread.   Right now I need help getting out of = this mess.  I have finally accepted I have to pull the = plate.  So much for the quick restring of a fairly new instrument.  </FONT><BR> <BR><FONT size=2>Thanks,  Steve Bellieu</FONT><BR><BR>---<BR><BR>Checked by AVG anti-virus system = (<A href="http://www.grisoft.com/" eudora="autourl">http://www.grisoft.com</A>).<BR>Version: = 6.0.427 / Virus Database: 240 - Release Date: 12/6/2002</BLOCKQUOTE><X-SIGSEP> <P></X-SIGSEP>Greg Newell<BR><A = href="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net" eudora="autourl">mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net</A> <P> <HR> <P></P><BR>---<BR><BR>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).<BR>Version: 6.0.427 / Virus Database: 240 = - Release Date: 12/6/2002<BR> <P> <HR> <P></P>_______________________________________________<BR>pianotech = list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOT= E></BODY></HTML>