<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Terry!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My "sweet" square is from about = 1810-1820 the experts told me.It´'s a Raedecker & Lunau  made in Lübeck. = With the shallow key dip I can play much </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>faster and that is the sweet thing for = me. No, honestly it feels kind of strange and it take a while to get used to it. = But I can play fast!!</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>this is directly from a broschure from = Malcolm Rose</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Type A: For Harpsicords, viriginals and = spinets......</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Type B: For fortepianos and Square = pianos up to ca 1820</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Type C: For pianos from c 1820 to c. = 1840 a hard drawn iron with a carbon content</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Type D: this wire is of the same = material as type C, but in a harder-drawn state suitable for instruments in the 1840´s</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Average density:7769 kg/m3</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you take one of the old strings from = the piano you will be restringing, and compare it with a modern one of the same = diameter. Try to bend it in your hand and feel if there is any differens in the = stiffnes of the string.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If it is an old type of string it would = bend very easily.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don´t know when they switched from = iron to steel. I think it was over a period of time. But on a square from 1865 I think = I would use modern strings, but maybee calculate on the scale to get a = picture of the tension of the strings.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I don´t have much experiance in this = at all. I just did my square piano for fun, I like older instruments.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I also have a Blüthner from 1873 and = a Chickering grandpiano from 1882. How the Chickering ended up in = Sweden would be interesting to find out....</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Linda Stråhle </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>S:P:T:F</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Malmoe</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sweden</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>