<!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 6.00.2900.2722" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></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="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com href="mailto:mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com">Farrell</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> Sunday, August 14, 2005 = 3:46 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: string = termination</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Comments interspersed below: = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>>> Carl Meyer = wrote:</EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>> Ron O = replied:</EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>>>A lot of things about = string terminations have bugged me for some time.<BR>> <BR>> Me too. = This is a topic which raises the level of pianotech list interest.<BR>> <BR>>>Ron Overs promotes hardening of the capo bar, yet the = agraffe is a <BR>>>relatively soft material (brass).  The difference is = that the capo <BR>>>is straight and the agraffe is round.  Wouldn't = the agraffe last <BR>>>longer if it were heavily plated with chrome, = nickel or??<BR>> <BR>> It would last longer if it was plated with a = hard or harden-able <BR>> material. I think brass is a very poor material = for string <BR>> terminations. After re-profiling (both new and used = agraffes) we have <BR>> been plating them with Electroless Nickel for some = years (since about <BR>> 1996). This plating is harden-able, and it = plates with a uniform <BR>> thickness in the string holes. Normal electoplating = won't result in a <BR>> uniform build-up of plating in the holes, which = is why Chrome isn't a <BR>> viable alternative plating material. = Electroless Nickel plating is a <BR>> process which, once started, is a purely = chemical plating process. <BR>> This is why it results in a useful build of = plating in the holes.<BR>> <BR>> For the most recently remanufactured = piano we built, I decided to try <BR>> just shaping the brass agraffe holes = without plating and hardening. <BR>> The results were very disappointing. = The best results we have had to <BR>> date are when the agraffes are = Electonickel plated. We've been <BR>> getting them plated with a thickness of = 0.05 mm (2 thou). The next <BR>> set we do will be plated with 0.75 mm to = increase the strength of the <BR>> plated surface. I have been suspicious that = the plating is on <BR>> occasion collapsing and flaking off, due to = collapse of the soft <BR>> brass substrate.</EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM></EM></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ron - a typo? Do you mean the new = plating thickness will be 0.075 mm (3 thou)?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </DIV> <DIV>Why then not make a agraffe out of steel or some other harder = material? That may be difficult for the one-off small-shop piano builder, but if = there were a demand to others..... Why would this be so difficult? Why = would brass persist so long?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Why not use other termination types like a capo-type bar in all = string sections like you see on cheap old American microgrands? = What about something more like an upright pressure bar arrangement?<BR><EM> <BR>SNIP<BR> <BR>>>Here's my question:  A vibrating string has two terminations.  It is <BR>>>excited in the northern direction.  (Ignore the = strike point)  What <BR>>>effect on tone will be the termination = of the two ends of the <BR>>>string????? Both north, one north and the = other south, east or <BR>>>west????   Or no big difference??<BR>>><BR>>>I have recently found plans on the = net to build an led stroboscope. <BR>>>I will build this and look at a = string under vibration. I could <BR>>>stretch a wire across my garage = and look at it with different = <BR>>>terminations.<BR>>><BR>>>If some of you deep thinkers have an answer to my question that = <BR>>>makes common sense, I won't have to do this.  Give me your = feedback.<BR>> <BR>> It is a worthy field of investigation Carl. Conventional = bridge pins <BR>> suffer severe damage at the termination point. An = intermediate <BR>> solution would be hardened bridge pins, but it will be a = costly <BR>> exercise.</EM></DIV> <DIV><EM></EM> </DIV> <DIV>Hardened bridge pins would be costly? I can see such an argument = from a Chinese manufacturer, but from a famous American or European = manufacturer who "spares no expense to create an uncompromised instrument?" I realize = that if a pin costs a nickel or dime rather than two cents, times 500 pins, = that would increase the cost of building the piano by $15 - $40....... or = am I missing something? Or are the upper-end larger, uncompromising, manufacturers really that cheap?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You would ask a question like that.   The answer is = yes, yes and yes.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It all started with the bird cage pianos.  They only play = cheep music.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Carl Meyer PTG assoc<BR>Santa Clara, Ca.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>