Pianotech

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

More pictures please !!!! This looks like something to write a journal article about. maybe it is the type of piano that should be in the PTG Foundation collection..


    There is no wrong way... by the way...

------------------------------
James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement action I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

I have seen these before. If my memory serves me they were from the Thayer Action Company.

------------------------------
Edward McMorrow
Edmonds WA
425-299-3431
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:06
From: James Kelly
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

More pictures please !!!! This looks like something to write a journal article about. maybe it is the type of piano that should be in the PTG Foundation collection..


    There is no wrong way... by the way...

------------------------------
James Kelly
Pawleys Island SC
843-325-4357
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement action I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message------

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Karl,

The wippen in question is a Bender designed by Johannes Bender in the early 1920s. Look on pages 83 and 84 of the English edition of Walter Pfeiffer's "The Piano Hammer" (I don't have a copy of the German edition to reference) for a description of the design theory, the pros and cons of this design. This type of action regulates differently from a "normal" action in that the button that contacts the "tender spoon" apparently isn't for letoff but rather for jack alignment to the knuckle while what we normally consider the drop screw causes repetition lever to press down on the jack tender thereby causing escapement.

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message------

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

There's not too much more about it in the book beyond my paraphrase. I'm just fascinated by the attempts folks have made over the last few centuries to innovate; especially in actions. And call me Allan - I'm still far enough south of the average in the Guild to have lots and lots of folks I look up to. Jack Wyatt used to say, "Mr. Wyatt was his dad so just call me Jack" - wise words from Jack.

It'll be worthy of a new thread when I get some more time to follow-up but I ran across some different ideas on articulated jacks when this rabbit led me down a different hole.

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2017 21:07
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Pfeiffer gives a less than enthusiastic review of this design, based on a test with a one key model he built, but Karl says the piano played well.
Pfeiffer also reports an unfavorable review of the Hickman action (pp. 65-67), but others have given a favorable report based on playing pianos with the action.
Pfeiffer,s book is fascinating, and the drawings are excellent. I don't know of any other book with so much material about piano actions, but perhaps his performance reviews need to be taken as not the final word.

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2017 18:27
From: Allan Gilreath
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

There's not too much more about it in the book beyond my paraphrase. I'm just fascinated by the attempts folks have made over the last few centuries to innovate; especially in actions. And call me Allan - I'm still far enough south of the average in the Guild to have lots and lots of folks I look up to. Jack Wyatt used to say, "Mr. Wyatt was his dad so just call me Jack" - wise words from Jack.

It'll be worthy of a new thread when I get some more time to follow-up but I ran across some different ideas on articulated jacks when this rabbit led me down a different hole.

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2017 21:07
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

I heard about a grand with a Hickman action up in the northwest but it wasn't something I could follow up on at the time. It's probably a good thing that I haven't yet gotten a 3D printer or else I'd spend too much time on these. The other patent I ran across was for a Baldwin action design with an articulated jack. 

Ed - if I get the Mathushek upright with a double-escapement action I'll be sure to send you some pics and see how it responds.

Best regards,

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2017 22:45
From: Ed Sutton
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Pfeiffer gives a less than enthusiastic review of this design, based on a test with a one key model he built, but Karl says the piano played well.
Pfeiffer also reports an unfavorable review of the Hickman action (pp. 65-67), but others have given a favorable report based on playing pianos with the action.
Pfeiffer,s book is fascinating, and the drawings are excellent. I don't know of any other book with so much material about piano actions, but perhaps his performance reviews need to be taken as not the final word.

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2017 18:27
From: Allan Gilreath
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

There's not too much more about it in the book beyond my paraphrase. I'm just fascinated by the attempts folks have made over the last few centuries to innovate; especially in actions. And call me Allan - I'm still far enough south of the average in the Guild to have lots and lots of folks I look up to. Jack Wyatt used to say, "Mr. Wyatt was his dad so just call me Jack" - wise words from Jack.

It'll be worthy of a new thread when I get some more time to follow-up but I ran across some different ideas on articulated jacks when this rabbit led me down a different hole.

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2017 21:07
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Although I've not seen a Hickman action piano in person, I've heard 2 reports that they can work very well. They used bakelite action centers in wood parts, leading to problems similar to teflon action centers. Bruce Clark told me he thought they'd work well if made with composite materials. 

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2017 14:00
From: Allan Gilreath
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

I heard about a grand with a Hickman action up in the northwest but it wasn't something I could follow up on at the time. It's probably a good thing that I haven't yet gotten a 3D printer or else I'd spend too much time on these. The other patent I ran across was for a Baldwin action design with an articulated jack. 

Ed - if I get the Mathushek upright with a double-escapement action I'll be sure to send you some pics and see how it responds.

Best regards,

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2017 22:45
From: Ed Sutton
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Pfeiffer gives a less than enthusiastic review of this design, based on a test with a one key model he built, but Karl says the piano played well.
Pfeiffer also reports an unfavorable review of the Hickman action (pp. 65-67), but others have given a favorable report based on playing pianos with the action.
Pfeiffer,s book is fascinating, and the drawings are excellent. I don't know of any other book with so much material about piano actions, but perhaps his performance reviews need to be taken as not the final word.

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2017 18:27
From: Allan Gilreath
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

There's not too much more about it in the book beyond my paraphrase. I'm just fascinated by the attempts folks have made over the last few centuries to innovate; especially in actions. And call me Allan - I'm still far enough south of the average in the Guild to have lots and lots of folks I look up to. Jack Wyatt used to say, "Mr. Wyatt was his dad so just call me Jack" - wise words from Jack.

It'll be worthy of a new thread when I get some more time to follow-up but I ran across some different ideas on articulated jacks when this rabbit led me down a different hole.

AG

------------------------------
Allan Gilreath, RPT
Registered Piano Technician & President
Allan Gilreath & Associates, Inc
Calhoun, GA
706-602-7667
allan@allangilreath.com - www.allangilreath.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2017 21:07
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

Thank you Mr. Gilreath. I'm pretty sure I have a copy of that volume holding up one leg of a workbench back at the shop. Think I'll try and look it up the earliest opportunity. Don't know what I'll do about the bench wobble in the meantime.;-)

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 03-14-2017 23:01
From: Karl Roeder
Subject: Anyone ever seen one of these?

This is a repetition from a tiny Steinert grand I and a young friend, Ben Cross ( of the North Bennet Street School ) , worked on today.  The fallboard says Steinert with Berlin written underneath in smaller letters. This is certainly one of the oddest double escapement actions I've come across.  The let off adjustment is made via a screw through the balancier attached to a button contacting a spoon on the distal side of the fly. A long spring connects the distal end of the balancier to the proximal side of the fly and assures that the rise of the proximal end of the repetition and the distal end of the balancier serve to activate the escapement of the fly. The church that owns it had been told that it was worthless because the fly centers were frozen and no one made parts like that anymore. About an hour with a solution of 6 parts naptha to one part paraffin oil and the old gem played like new. Kudos to the staff at North Bennet Street for stoking young Mr. Cross' enthusiasm enough that he would give up part of his spring break to watch an old hack try and do the right thing by doing things the wrong way.

------------------------------
Karl Roeder
Pompano Beach FL
------------------------------

Original Message------

Although I've not seen a Hickman action piano in person, I've heard 2 reports that they can work very well. They used bakelite action centers in wood parts, leading to problems similar to teflon action centers. Bruce Clark told me he thought they'd work well if made with composite materials. 

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------