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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robin,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Do you think if I did some tests on =
pieces of
bushing cloth, I'd be able to tell anything? I was thinking in =
particular
about the 90/10 acetone/ CA mix and also trying out some with a bit of =
methyl
alcohol mixed in, too. Does anybody know if I'll blow up or pass =
out or
anything? (That last one is the important one, I'm not a
chemist.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I repinned some again yesterday,
following very precise directions by folks who should =
know. I
was more aggressive in my burnishing and working the flanges and just =
generally
pinning tighter, but by this morning, they had loosened some (I =
measured
each step using my gram gauge). The =
flanges went
from too tight before working the flange, to the high end of being
acceptable after working the flange. This morning they were =
at the low
end of acceptable--which is OK as long as they stay there, but I =
have a
funny feeling they won't stay there for long. After this test =
of my
pinning technique, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I'm not =
totally
incompetent after all----maybe just =
partially.... :</FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>-) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Barbara Richmond</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=hufford1@airmail.net =
href="mailto:hufford1@airmail.net">Robin
Hufford</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> Monday, December 06, 2004 =
1:31
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Rebushing =
centers</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Hello Barbara,<BR> I think it =
is vital
to properly shrink and stabilize the bushings after =
installation.
Otherwise, you will be where you are now with the inadequate Steinway =
parts
(something ridiculous and telling in itself for a company in business =
doing
this for 150 years,) you refer to in recent posts, that is, the =
friction
will not be stable and the hammer will also wobble causing a loss of
power. <BR> I have used shrinking fluid
combinations with proportions ranging from 50/50 to 75/25 or so, =
water
and methyl alcohol and had good results. Although, I have had, on =
occasion, a
need to do some over, as some were still, after drying, loose. =
These
were then rendered acceptable after another treatment. =
<BR>
An interesting new possibility, which had occurred to me =
one day
as I was waiting for a conventionally treated set to dry and is, as =
far as I
can tell, a completely new technique since I have not seen it referred =
to
anywhere or heard any discussion about it elsewhere, I decided =
to
try on a set of Tokiwa shanks which had a very soft, =
unstable
bushing that responded to pining exactly as you describe with the =
Steinway,
is, perhaps, better. =
<BR> This
method uses water thin CA glue thinned even further to about about a =
90/10
acetone/glue mix. It occurs to me now, as I write =
this, that
it may work better if a little methyl alcohol is added as a wetting =
agent, if
possible, although I haven't done this. There may be =
complications if
alcohol is used which I am unaware of at the moment.
<BR> As you know, of course, the CA =
rapidly sets
and this characteristic obviates the need for the prolonged drying =
necessary
when using water. One can vary the mixture as desired to =
control
its effects, but if too much CA is used it will make the bushing =
so hard
that it will click and this defeats the purpose of its =
use. Too
little and there is not enough stability induced in the bushing. =
<BR> On the piano I tried this on I have =
had
very good results; the pining is stable and there was a =
noticeable
increase in power. I tried at first to apply it simply by =
dripping the
mixture onto the bushing: this does have an effect, but, =
eventually, I
removed the pining, wetted the bushing and then reinstalled a =
pin.
Perhaps, as I indicated above, a wetting agent like methyl =
alcohol will
make it possible to do this without even removing the =
pining. All
of the flanges on this piano had already been repinned, some twice or =
even
three times. They had progressively loosened as you described
earlier. <BR> Judging from =
your
recent posts you are considering rebushing the inadequate Steinway =
shanks you
have referred to. I would try this technique before rebushing =
were this
problem one I had to solve. I think, once resigned to rebushing, =
you
have nothing to lose. <BR>Regards, Robin Hufford
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