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<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>Jason,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>After practice you can get pretty good at using the blow =
distance
gage to set the end hammers. Any helper will make the job easier, =
holding the
gage for you while you peer over the hammer flanges and turn the =
capstans. I
usually set the remaining hammers in the piano. With experience, you get =
used to
it. If there is not enough room to see, I'll pull it out and set it on =
the
workbench/piano lid/whatever is handy and level. Again, with experience =
you get
pretty good at setting a level line.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>After
watching the Kawai Master Tech prep a Shigeru, I now eyeball the letoff =
on the
end of section hammers. He set it at 1 mm. I go a little wider usually. =
Then I
made a tool similar to Spurlock's (<A
href="http://www.spurlocktools.com/id24.htm">http://www.spurlocktools.c=
om/id24.htm</A>).
But I'd recommend you buy his ($33), I'll probably end up buying one =
myself. It
is really slick. It allows very uniform settings on letoff and drop. =
After I set
all the letoff in one section, I hold the key down, bring the drop screw =
up
until the shank comes off the jig, then turn the screw back down just a =
little
past where the shank comes back down to touch. This makes drop right at =
letoff
which really makes it feel nice. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=078125422-01022005><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff =
size=2>Dean</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT =
face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> =
pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
[mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>jason
kanter<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 01, 2005 1:00 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B>
Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> Let-off in piano<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet =
MS"><FONT
color=#008080 size=2>Just reading David Nereson's post about the =
old Blüthner
he takes care of. He comments: </FONT><FONT color=#008080><FONT =
size=2><SPAN
class=622313517-01022005>"</SPAN>Can't regulate let-off in the piano =
-- no way
to get at the regulating screws."</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>Which brings up an important point for me. How DO you =
regulate hammer
height and letoff in the grand piano? The method I learned is: Pull =
the
action, measure string height at the extremes of each section using a =
string
height gauge and a busines card; put the action on a nice, firm, flat =
surface
(I know that this is the place where errors creep in, if the keybed =
and the
work surface are not both quite flat); use a contraption to simulate =
string
height; and regulate hammer height, letoff, checking, drop, =
etc outside
the piano.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>In some situations I have had to do an on-site regulation =
where there
is no good, flat surface for the action, so I've tried to do it in the =
piano.
I can't see how you can do a good job with it. Feeding a hammer blow =
gauge
through the dampers, turning it 90 degrees and pulling it gently up to =
contact
the undersurface of the string, and holding it there while trying to =
get an
eyeball on the hammer surface from the front of the piano and using =
the other
hand to regulate the capstan ... difficult enough to do samples but =
what a
challenge to do them all that way. Very hard to get a good line of =
sight over
the hammer flange under the pinblock. So I have resorted to =
approximating,
measuring only a few, pulling the action into my lap and eyeballing =
the
tweeners. I *know* the results are not as good as what I could do on a =
good
bench.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2>Same issue for letoff, and same for backcheck. No doubt you =
more
experienced folks have developed fast, efficient, easy ways to do =
this. Please
enlighten.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" =
color=#008080
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT color=#008080 =
size=2><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS">Does Bill Spurlock's description sound like what =
any of
you do? "<FONT color=#000000>hunching over the stretcher, peering =
past the
dampers and through the strings to judge let-off distance, then =
looking under
the pinblock to place the tool on the adjusting screw, then leaning =
forward
again to watch as you make the adjustment. All the while you must =
"squeeze"
the key gradually to slow hammer movement enough that you can =
accurately see
the let-off point."</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005><FONT face="Trebuchet MS"
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=622313517-01022005>
<DIV><FONT face="Arial Narrow" size=2>| | | | =
| |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" size=2>Jason Kanter . piano tuning =
regulation
repair</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2><A href="mailto:jkanter@rollingball.com"><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS">jkanter@rollingball.com</FONT></A><FONT
face="Trebuchet MS"> . cell 425 830 1561</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Trebuchet MS" size=2>serving the =
eastside and the
san juans</FONT></DIV></SPAN></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>