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<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>From: "Phillip L Ford" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:fordpiano@lycos.com"><FONT
color=#000080>fordpiano@lycos.com</FONT></A><FONT
color=#000080>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>To: <</FONT><A =
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT
color=#000080>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT =
color=#000080>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Sent: November 06, 2001 11:53 PM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Subject: Bridge agraffes</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>> -------------<BR>> Del,<BR>> Would =
you care
to elaborate on this a little? I haven't seen the Stuart<BR>>
piano. If the side by side performance of your device was
comparable<BR>> with notched bridges with pins I would think that the =
device
in question<BR>> would have some advantages over a conventional =
bridge string
termination.<BR>> Were there some reasons that it wasn't =
adopted?<BR>>
<BR>> Phil<BR>> ---<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>Phil,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080>This was/is not an agraffe. It's basically a =
long, flat
plate with two risers, one at each end, which are string bearing points =
and a
riser in the middle with one, two or three slots through which the =
strings pass.
The middle riser has a slot milled/cast into it which accepts a mild =
steel pin.
The pin is oriented in such a way that it deflects the string downward =
from a
straight path across the two end risers. (I've pasted in part of an
old drawing though I've no idea if it will come up on your
screen.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
color=#000080><IMG height=88
src="cid:000d01c16877$4a834b80$0100007f@delsmachine" width=353
v:shapes="_x0000_i1025"></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080>The back end has a molded-in pin =
that indexes
into a pre-drilled hole in the top of a flat bridge body. Toward the =
front there
is a countersunk hole through which a flat-headed wood screw passes to =
attach
and index the front of the device to the bridge. The two holes drilled =
straight
into the bridge align the device to the string =
centerline.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080>I do think the device has some =
inherent
advantages over the standard bridge pin system though I didn't do enough =
testing
to determine what the long-term performance of the thing might be. One =
might say
this is being done now in the field on the Stuart piano. It will be =
interesting
to see how it holds up over time.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080>There was no interest in pursuing =
this kind of
experimental work by my employer at the time. Since the company was =
paying for
my time I let the idea drop and went on to other things. I do plan to =
resurrect
it again one day.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Goudy Old Style'; =
mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times =
New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; =
mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
face="Lucida Sans" =
color=#000080>Del</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>