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great LED light

  • 1.  great LED light

    Posted 01-05-2018 15:55
    I posted this yesterday on the Piano Technicians International group on Facebook.

    Found this great little LED light. It has a strong magnet on one end, and is squared so it doesn't roll around. Saw it last week at a local lumber store for $19. Used it today when tightening hammer flange screws on a vertical, and it worked great! As I have aged, the eyes don't have it like they used to, and this gave plenty enough light to help see where the slots in the screws were. It saved a bunch of time since I didn't have to squint or feel around for the slot.

    There are two settings (high and low), plus it has a blinking red light. I got this with the idea of sticking it onto the plate in places where the light was low. I.e., when working on pedals in a vertical, or when there isn't enough light in a room and you must do something like remove a hammer. This is easier than holding a flashlight.

    *****
    Today I used the light doing some grand regulation. Having the light just above the damper area was nice. (The magnet lets you put it right on the plate.) Made letoff and drop adjustments so much faster!

    It also was nice to use as an aid to see capstan holes more easily.



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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 2.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-05-2018 16:12
    I had something similar. I had to insert a sleeve of paper round the batteries, they were shaking loose and loosing contact. After a while the glaze on the surface eroded and the exposed LED's weren't that bright. It stopped working altogether after a while.

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    Regards,

    Jon Page
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  • 3.  RE: great LED light

    Member
    Posted 01-06-2018 07:01
    Doesn't anyone read their Journal anymore? This was posted in T, T, & T
    August 2017 issue. BTW, I love mine!




  • 4.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-06-2018 21:28
    Haha, I guess I'm guilty as charged. They're in a stack, and I'll get to them soon. :)

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 5.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-11-2018 10:04
    Hi John, I put out the effort to go find this light after calls yesterday.  The first hardware store I saw had one but it wasn't as nice as yours.  Still, I bought it as well as a long flat one to improve my lighting tools for in the home service.

    The little one has a single AAA battery that I expect won't last long.  Hopefully long enough to get me through a process.  The magnet is a huge plus.

    The long flat one has 4 AA batteries and has three 1 inch round magnets on the back to help hold it in place should I need it.

    Between these two I should be able to see better when adjusting grand capstans like I did the other day.  It was a Malcom Love 4' 9" grand  (your great grandfather David?) and was a free piano.  After experiencing the special feeling I got with my right hand going numb supporting my torso while aiming a shaking capstan tool with my left hand in the dark (moving target), and tuning a piano with excessive partials I was rewarded with a really happy customer and her little daughter (I'm guessing 4 years old maybe) asked if she could "give me a goodby hug".  As much as it hurt, I dropped to my knees to receive this gift.

    NOW THAT WAS SPECIAL!!!  It made driving home in the 4:00 parade route go by like it was nothing.

    Lar

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    Larry Fisher
    Owner, Chief Grunt, Head Hosehead
    Vancouver WA
    360-256-2999
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  • 6.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-11-2018 11:56
    CORRECTION:  three AAA batteries.  I gave the light a rap on the counter and two more came out.  This will help make it's function last much longer.





  • 7.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-11-2018 13:03
    Sounds good, Larry! I hope you'll like it. I've used mine again today. 

    Regulating an action from a Kimball grand today. I so wish I had looked more carefully before giving my usual reconditioning/regulation quote. This one has the square capstans and it's impossible to turn the ones closest to the action brackets. Guess I'll have to remove the stack, adjust them, and repeat until it's close enough. 

    Money is still money, but I'd like to work fewer hours than this. Oh well.... :)

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 8.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-11-2018 13:20
    Hey John,

    If you really cannot access those square capstans next to the action brackets in situ (makes you wonder how the managed the initial regulation when made, assuming any was done), and you are going to remove the stack to get to them anyway, why not drill a couple of holes through the capstans while they are out, so that they CAN be turned once the action is reassembled?

    Alan

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    Alan Eder, RPT
    Herb Alpert School of Music
    California Institute of the Arts
    Valencia, CA
    661.904.6483
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  • 9.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-11-2018 13:49
    Good suggestion and I'll do it. If it were still in my shop I'd probably replace all the capstans. Would save time in the long run in labor from not having to use the "upright" capstan tool

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 10.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-11-2018 20:47
    I drilled three holes. Two drill bits broke, so I stopped. The capstans are steel. Wish the designers had thought this out better. And yes, it does make a person wonder how the thing could be regulated initially. Also, it's a different type of action--it has the repetition springs that rest in the back of the wippen, with one end of the spring inside the regulating screw and the other end in a loop. The wippens screw in from the top side of the action just behind the hammer heads. The action is super lightweight. Is this a Schwander grand action???

    I'm going to see if I can dig up a tool in my extras box. Or try to make something that will be at a different angle.

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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 11.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-11-2018 21:07
    Hi John,

    Just curious, but could you take and share a photo of the wippen type? I think I've seen what you describe, but would like to see a picture to confirm.

    As far as your capstans go, would it be better to replace them with modern ones? You have already tried to modify them, why not replace them?

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    Benjamin Sanchez
    Professional Piano Services
    (805)315-8050
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    BenPianoPro@comcast.net
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  • 12.  RE: great LED light

    Posted 01-11-2018 21:56
     I will try to remember to take a picture tomorrow. I need to return tomorrow to finish the regulation.

    As I mentioned in a previous email, I no longer have the action in the shop. Otherwise, it would make complete sense to replace them. Heck, if I had a set of capstans in the car today, I probably would've just done it! I wasn't thinking far enough ahead while doing the reconditioning work. Also, I did not bid it into the job. In fact, this was kind of an off-the-cuff quote at the first appointment I ever had at this church. I gave a ballpark figure, and then they wanted the work done. I had not even looked at the action carefully at the first tuning appointment.
    Alan, I found a couple angled tools here at home that should work. The only one I had with me at the job today was the straight capstan regulating tool. This won't happen again though :)


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    John Formsma, RPT
    New Albany MS
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  • 13.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-11-2018 23:39
    Thanks John, I look forward to the picture if you have opportunity. Totally understand about not having the action at home anymore. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a movable work shop? Then again, if that were the case, then every client would expect you to be able to fix everything wrong with their piano before lunch!...

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    Benjamin Sanchez
    Professional Piano Services
    (805)315-8050
    www.professional-piano-services.com
    BenPianoPro@comcast.net
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  • 14.  RE: great LED light

    Member
    Posted 01-11-2018 23:42
    I purchased some capstans from Schaff with holes in them already. They are  called Moore Capstans  item No 559M 1 3/8" long. buy a few extra

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    James Kelly
    Pawleys Island SC
    843-325-4357
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  • 15.  RE: great LED light

    Registered Piano Technician
    Posted 01-12-2018 01:25
      |   view attached
    I've recently been using these excellent lights. The middle one is by "Smartflare" and is available on the Grommet.com website. It's not cheap, but it's great for sticking on a vertical plate in dim light. It's got a magnetic back, is hinged, uses bright LEDs, and is rechargeable via USB. The light can be switched to shine either forwards or backwards (there are bulbs on either side of the head). The best thing is the size--it stays out of the way.

    In my photo, it's flanked by a pair of LED (who would buy anything else these days?) lights I got in a set of 2 at Home Depot. Maybe $10?
    Both are powerful, have a swiveling magnetic base, and stand up. Great for an action cavity when fiddling with damper adjustment. The smaller one uses AAAs, and the larger one AA.

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    Scott Cole
    Talent OR
    541-601-9033
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