Discussion Posts

Let me also add that a hammer which is severely flattened on the crown has already lost some mass so our filing only adds to that. If our goal is to maintain the same BW as when the hammer was new (and it isn't always) then we should pay attention to ...

I'm responding to two claims, one, that filing is not significant and two, that you can't take off enough felt to make a difference without rendering the hammer unmusical. Both, I believe, are false and easily measurable.   Removing .3 grams of felt is, ...

I f you have sciatica and are keeping your wallet in your back pocket -TAKE IT OUT!!! John

David, I make no claims other than to have presented objective data, from actual field filing. In my work, this was a fairly extreme filing. (I am still rather puzzled by your repeated characterization as of it as a "relatively light filing.") If you ...

The pictures I posted speak for themselves. Filing can contribute to a significant reduction in weight without them being rendered useless for music making, as Juergen posted. As your experiment suggested it may depend on how you file them and, of course, ...

SE Region Summer Seminar Series Info   These Seminars are available to everyone!   Each Class in this Summer Series will have a unique ZOOM sign-in process. (you must respond for each class)   To sign up to attend, send your name, PTG membership ...

SE Region Summer Seminar Series Info   These Seminars are available to everyone!   Each Class in this Summer Series will have a unique ZOOM sign-in process. (you must respond for each class)   To sign up to attend, send your name, PTG membership ...

David, Actually I posted three hammers, from bottom tenor, top tenor, and mid treble. I was surprised and interested to find that each of the three was reduced in mass by 0.3 gr. I wouldn't call it a light filing when the grooves are at least 10 mm long. ...

I had sciatica, too, Nathan. I learned how to massage the 4 gluteal muscles to deactivate the trigger points. It worked very well. I still regularly massage those muscles (among many others). I was guided, of course, by Clair Davies and TTW. Bob Anderson, ...

Depending on the section of the piano most of the weight is in the felt, not the molding.  It's quite easy to take more than a gram of felt off in certain parts of the piano, especially with multiple filings over time.  Fred posted a treble hammer that ...

Thanks for sharing this Fred! I have to admit the results surprised me. ------------------------------ Nathan Monteleone Fort Worth TX 817-675-9494 nbmont@gmail.com ------------------------------

Yes sciatic pain was definitely part of the equation for me. And I agree it's important in general not to stay seated for too much of our lives :) ------------------------------ Nathan Monteleone Fort Worth TX 817-675-9494 nbmont@gmail.com --------- ...

Brian, To build on what Bob Anderson wrote I would like to add the following: Many years ago (I believe it was 1997 or 1998) I developed a series of symptoms that, when put together) I thought I was literally falling apart or going to have a heart attack. ...

Brian, One thing I forgot to mention/ask? Are you planting your left foot (assuming you're tuning right handed) far enough out to provide a good fulcrum point? If, for example, your feet are under the bench while tuning, the fulcrum is located ...

1) Do not work through pain. It will not get better as you grow older. 2) Pay attention to your body as you work. Adjust quickly when you feel discomfort. 3) Learn continually about tools, techniques and body modalities. Adapt. 4) Work within the ...

All piano techs should at least be aware of Clair Davies’ excellent book THE TRIGGER POINT THERAPY WORKBOOK, Brian. It originated as a series of articles in the PTJ years ago and Davies gave some classes at PTG conventions before his death. Not all pain ...

Hi Brian, I have been servicing spinets for years. Of late, I have found a spike in requests for bringing many of them, which were sitting unused in someone's home for a generation; back into playable service. This has resulted in one or two pitch adjustments ...

Yes, this is the best response of all.  Learn to tune uprights left-handed.  Angle the piano bench with the right end of it almost 45 degrees away from the keyboard and the left end somewhat underneath it.  Sit at the left end of it.   With your left ...

Nathan,  I am also not a doctor, but I once taught medical physiology. The sitting position is an unnatural position for a human body.  We were designed to stand and our vertebra and disks can naturally take the strain of a standing position for long ...

Brian, I think the important part of this problem is in your title: "Tuning my first spinet...". Conditioning is a part of any job and ergonomics should be everyone's concern.  I am 65 and I can tune three or more spinets in a day without a  problem ...

I am of course not a doctor, but sharing my own experience: I can wind up with pain in my lower back from prolonged sitting on hard surfaces. It feels like it makes my upper leg and butt muscles (like I said, I'm not a doctor) get knotted up, and that ...

I should have qualified my response. The dampp chaser monitoring part is missing but I am sure it could be added to the wireless temp/rh platforms with the right electronic interface. it would seem the brains are already there that trigger the low water ...

it already exists. I have been working with data loggers for some time now and am in the process of putting together a zoom meeting class in conjunction with Bill Davis our SERO VP.  The data logger world has basically exploded with innovation and devices ...

You should try tuning uprights left-handed Brian. I was trained to tune upright pianos left-handed and grand pianos right-handed. It might take you a few weeks to get used to it. You will be able to tune much longer by equally spreading the tension between ...

Hi, Roger It would be interesting at some point to trace the different routes people took after they ended up at the same destination. Gratifying to hear someone else came to the same conclusions. ...

A few years back I decided I either needed to make my peace with spinets or...well I don't know...stop tuning them like Jim I guess. But there's sooo many of them out there and there's good money to be made tuning and repairing them. So, I began to work ...

Brian, I use the same technique as Susan. Don't get discouraged though, it may well be that you need to stretch those muscles associated with that posture, although there is a possibility you have a genetically bad back. Roger

Hi, Brian You might try what works for me. As the years went by, I gradually changed my tuning habits to lessen any strain, enabling me at 74 (despite having a lot of fibromyalgia) to have shoulders, ...

In practical terms, you will not be able to file a hammer to match the profile of the lighter hammer higher in the scale, due to the presence of the staple (unless you remove it). Our normal filing techniques approximate but do not mirror precisely the ...

The string length will change under tension, but the gauge will not change, at least not for our purposes. The danger if there is one, in measuring the gauge of a string without tension, is its inherent propensity to curve or coil. If the string does ...

My systems is to tell prospective spinet customers, that "spinets are not in my service area".  A cynical response which is perfectly suited to these horribly cynical symptoms of "don't give a s..t marketing and production". The distance you must reach ...

I am not sure this is a very precise method\. I have seen new hammers that varied by 1 gram form one hammer to its neighbor.  Also, the core, which is significant in the hammer weight, changes dimension if you go up or down by a few notes. Here is a ...

An impact hammer like the Reyburn Cyberhammer will help a lot because you don't have to keep your shoulder raised. Still have to have proper posture, though. Get your back adjusted by a chiropractor if your pain persists. Paul McCloud How are you ...

How are you setting.  You need to be working a bit sideways with your back straight. Learn to use both hands so you can switch hands while tuning. It really makes a difference. ------------------------------ Jeffrey Gegner Tipton IN 765-860-5900 --- ...

I always sit, even for studio pianos as tall as a U3. But I try very hard to keep my back straight. Once in a while I catch myself slumping, which creates an ache in my lower back. But then I'm 6' tall. ------------------------------ Willem "Wim" Blees, ...

Hi Alan, What a great idea! A device which monitors the humidity control system's function and reports over the internet I'd guess would be the best approach. My youngest son Andrew just graduated with a degree in both network engineering and electrical ...

Hi Alan, I have not explored this idea specifically, but seeing your post made me think of "Smart Plugs."  They are devices that go between an electric device and the wall outlet so you can do things like turn things on/off remotely from a mobile device ...

Hi Brian: I have found that I need to often straighten up and take a break during a tuning, whether I"m standing or sitting. I often rest my back against the edge of a couch and lean back with my hands over my head. Sometimes I hear/feel my bones ...

I had the privilege of tuning a wurlizer spinet for my old church. I normally tune from a standing position but with the piano being so short, I had to tune sitting.  When I finished I packed up and got in the truck to leave, then noticed a sharp pain ...

Some string makers will ask you if you measure the wound section of bass strings at tension or not. I’ve been told there’s a 5mm difference in winding length. I wound imagine the plain string at tension must be slightly narrower than one at rest. But ...

The simplest way to do this is just take a hammer out of a set and weigh it and then find a hammer higher in the scale that weighs a gram less and compare the sizes of the hammers.  The difference (assuming the hammers are the same width) is all felt. ...

It's immaterial in practical terms. ------------------------------ David Love RPT www.davidlovepianos.com davidlovepianos@comcast.net 415 407 8320 ------------------------------

Some actions have the DW set at the lowest practical limit for the leverage and inertia properties.The pianist may find the feel excellent when new. But after the hammers get work hardened to the point the tone is not proper anymore and the hammers get ...

I've always reduced tension on the strings before measuring them. I don't think it make a difference. At least not that I know of, and I've never heard any different. ------------------------------ Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT Mililani, HI 96789 -------- ...

When measuring string gauges for restringing, is there a significant difference to the measurement when under tension or is it immaterial in practical terms? Best wishes David P ------------------------------ David Pinnegar BSc ARCS Hammerwood Park, ...

The choice of TS5 is interesting. Others have liked its sound also. It will fit into many cheap bodies - https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32846074174.html Best wishes David P -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - David ...

Hi- I would agree that generally the assertion here is correct, that in most cases our typical hammer shaping/filing does not remove a lot of weight. At least when the hammers originally had a good shape to begin with, that is true. In some cases ...

Of those selected, I like the TS5 and the D224 best.  I used to own a small recording studio, and you can sink a lot of $$ into this if you want to.  Are you recording to your phone?   An SD recorder?   If you can locate an old Shure SM53, they were a ...

Greetings, If you have many pianos with Dampp-Chaser systems on them, and the piano shop is responsible for their maintenance, wouldn't it be nice to not have to physically visit each piano to find out if the system has power going to it, if it needs ...

Autocorrect turned cardstock to yardstick. Didn't notice until it posted. (Glass paper). Regards, Fred Sturm University of New Mexico fssturm@unm.edu http://fredsturm.net www.artoftuning.com