Every new piano I have purchased for UNM in Albuquerque, NM has had overly tight balance holes within three months of delivery. I ream with parallel reamers .001" larger than the pin, then follow with the tapered reamer with just a little pressure (to taper the profile of the hole). This has worked very well over the years.
If the holes are just crushed with the tapered reamer, they will become tight again with high humidity, as that crushed wood reconstitutes. Same thing with pin blocks: pins do become looser in dry season, then tighter in wet. There are two factors involved, one being the actual structure of the wood, the other being the behavior of crushed wood (or, BTW, of felt held within a wood circle).
Steinway teflon bushings are another case in point. The original ones were smooth sided. They clicked in moister humidity, became tight in dry for the most part, as the wood hole alternately opened up and closed around them (an added detail being the difference between up/down and fore/aft, as the grain behaves differently - in fact, the hole became oval, at least theoretically). Adding ribs to the bushings and making them thicker avoided this problem, but I had ten Bs with the original bushings to contend with for 15 years or se before I replaced the parts, so I experienced the problem first hand.
------------------------------
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.eduhttp://fredsturm.nethttp://www.artoftuning.com"We either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same." - Carlos Casteneda
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-15-2019 18:39
From: Daniel DeBiasio
Subject: Dealer prep work
Roger,
You and Paul are not entirely wrong. The hole will temporarily get tighter as humidity increases and the wood is in the process of acclimating to the new environment. During this interim phase before the wood has reached its new equilibrium moisture content, the moisture content of the wood is slowly and unevenly increasing. The cells of the wood take on moisture from its surfaces first which are in direct contact with the humid air.
The hole is a surface which will take on moisture before the wood at the core does as we approach a new equilibrium moisture content. Since the surface area of the hole is locked inside wood that hasn't expanded yet, it has nowhere to go but in, causing the hole to get tighter. This is only temporary, but this is what we experience when balance holes get tight as humidity spikes.
Once the wood finally reaches equilibrium moisture content, the entire piece will have expanded and the hole with it just as it would if there was no hole.
It is for this reason I caution against using a chucking reamer during an interim phase when the wood hasn't yet reached equilibrium moisture content.
------------------------------
Daniel DeBiasio
Brooklyn, NY
646.801.8863
Original Message:
Sent: 06-15-2019 13:38
From: Roger Gable
Subject: Dealer prep work
Daniel,
A couple of corrections: As Paul said, the physics of wood is such that a hole will get tighter as the humidity increases. Second, there is a misconception about the affect of the humid Seattle climate on pianos. During the rainy season (usually 9 months) the outside temperature is low enough that homes are heated to insulate the damp outside climate from the warmer and dryer climate within a building. Certainly, if we kept our pianos on the front porch, Seattle would be one of the worse places in the world to own a piano. Because the opposite is the case, Seattle is one of the best places in the world to own a piano.
Roger
Original Message------
Dealer prep is usually approached as a prophylactic measure to prevent costly warranty service requests in the field for things like sticky keys or tuning instability. Delivering value to the dealer by preventing these issues are reasons a tech might use a chucking reamer or tap on the bridge as a matter of course. However, we are capable of causing some pretty irreversible iatrogenic damage with the best of intentions.
I expect this next part to be a point of debate, but from the oversimplified version of what I understand about wood: a high moisture content from a humid climate causes the hole drilled in the wood to act like the wood that was removed. I.E. the wooden key swells and so does the removed wood (the balance hole) which means the balance hole would tend to get loose all on its own in a place like Washington state which I assume to be very humid. Any additional easing of the keys (especially with a tool that removes material) could potentially cause problems for a piano that spends its life in that environment, whereas hitting the balance holes with a chucking reamer might be an excellent choice on a piano that was built in Japan but acclimated to the climate in Arizona. The reality is more complicated, but basically wood that is in the process of acclimating to a new moisture content can behave the opposite of how I just described, that is until the entire piece catches up. The hole has an edge that is exposed to the air which causes it to take on moisture quicker than the wood at the core of the key so easing balance holes might seem like the necessary choice for a piano that just arrived in Seattle vacuum sealed from Phoenix, but given time to acclimate would seem to get loose all on its own.
The advantage to using a chucking reamer is that they are precisely machined to the half-thousandth of an inch and can be chosen to match the balance pins. If chosen correctly, they can't get you into too much trouble when they're used unnecessarily, whereas the tapered burnisher is less precise and easier to overdo. The advantage to the tapered balance hole burnisher is the reversibility because material is displaced instead of removed. I would assume the tech is making judgement calls based on their observations and experiences, and making smart choices within the given context.
As for the tapping of the strings on the bridge, I would guess it is an attempt to achieve tuning stability. I can think of some better ways to achieve this, but I'm also making an assumption about the reason they're choosing to do it in the first place.
------------------------------
Daniel DeBiasio
Brooklyn, NY
646.801.8863
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2019 22:10
From: Willem Blees
Subject: Dealer prep work
I don't do much prep work anymore, but when I had my store, I would make sure all the components worked properly, including the trap system and the action. Obviously tuning and voicing, as needed. My office assistant would inspect the case and make sure it was perfect. I also offered tuning after delivery.
The maker of the pianos I sold didn't offer any reimbursement or paid for tuning, like Yamaha does, so all of that came out of my pocket. But then I was the piano tuner for the store. That is why many stores don't do much prep on their pianos, because it costs to much.
------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2019 20:20
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Dealer prep work
I'm probably going to open a can o' worms here (unrelated to the Roger's question, apologies), but what would you consider to be "standard" dealer prep work, and what would you consider should be done either before the piano leaves the factory or after it arrives at its new home?
------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez
Professional Piano Services
(805)315-8050
www.professional-piano-services.com
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2019 19:09
From: Willem Blees
Subject: Dealer prep work
Roger
i do prep work for the big Yamaha dealer on the West coast who does Costco sales here in Hawaii. I was told by their head tech guy to tap the strings and ease all the keys, so that they can be lifted up from the balance rail and drop back down, as per our tech exam requirements. Most of the time this will require easing the balance rail hole in addition to, or instead of, easing the balance and/or front rail bushings.
------------------------------
Willem "Wim" Blees, RPT
Mililani, HI 96789
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2019 18:15
From: Roger Gable
Subject: Dealer prep work
The local Yamaha dealer hired a piano technician to perform dealer preparation on the new Yamaha grands. I have observed the technician performing routine prep work to include reaming the key balance hole with a chucking reamer – without evidence of sticking keys and tapping the strings down in the bridge – without evidence of false beats. I attended Yamaha's Little Red School House in the mid 70's where no such prep work was ever recommended. Am I missing something?
------------------------------
Roger Gable
Gable Piano
Everett WA
425-252-5000
------------------------------