<!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 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>Del:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Do you mean you don't thin them along the treble = edge at the rim or at the front?  As you have recently written, the board can = be stiffened with an application of epoxy.  Can you also stiffen the = board by, say, adding some quarter round segments along the underside edge of the = board at the rim--to undo the thinning?  Or by adding a piece of wood = at the front edge in the first capo section much like is done in the top most section?  That would require modifying the damper guide rail a bit = but that wouldn't be too hard.  Are there other methods of stiffening the = board in that section that you have</FONT><FONT size=3> tried and had any = success with.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>David Love</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>----- Original Message ----- </FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=pianobuilders@olynet.com href="mailto:pianobuilders@olynet.com">Delwin D Fandrich</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> September 22, 2002 6:43 = AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hammers and = scale</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000080 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=davidlovepianos@earthlink.net href="mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net">David Love</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> September 20, 2002 7:24 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Hammers and = scale</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>That makes sense.  But let's take our = favorite whipping boy, the Steinway M.  As you know, when recalculating = the scale, one tends to come up with a needed increase in gauges above = note 50, pushing the tension up a bit all the way to the top (changes across = the bass tenor break are another issue which I don't want to get into at this = point).  If the Steinway board tends to be a lighter more = flexible one, would you then be cautious about increasing the tension up there for = fear of overloading a board that is not capable of dealing with that type of = change?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>David Love</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Well, it's not an ideal world. = The Model M scale has a real dip in the middle of the top tenor section and is = generally lower than I would like to see it through the killer octave = region. I am always cautious about raising string tensions on an existing piano. In = this case I find the increase to be less bad than the = alternative.</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Ideally, the soundboard should be = stiffened up some through the whole upper third of the scale--quite the opposite = from the effect achieved by diaphragming it. When putting new boards in = these pianos we do not thin them out along the treble edge. </FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080></FONT> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT color=#000080>Del</FONT></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr><FONT = color=#000080></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>