Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Ar Steinway whippens beter than Kimball whippens

This is an interesting project, and you are certainly doing it well. Have fun!

Incidentally, the original action was probably made by Pratt Read.

Doesn't really have to. As long as the flange sits solid and square.

I'd like to see a small lip along the bottom of the rail for the flange to seat against but so far this all looks pretty good.

ddf

They may well be but why should their age matter? This is a one-off project and he seems to be making everything fit quite nicely. As long as the parts are in reasonable working condition who cares how old they are?

My problem with most of these projects is that the work is done so poorly the end result is garbage and it would have been garbage even if the finest new parts in the world had been used. But from the pictures I've seen so far the work in this project is being done in a nice, innovative and workmanlike manner. I can't see that the age of the parts will make any difference in the end.

ddf

How can we know how old these whippens are anyway? If somebody had put graphite on some parts causing some staining, and they had been used a bit, couldn't they be 6 years old and look this way? Unless there is some design feature that alerts you to their age. The one pictured doesn't look worn out.

What I said is that when the angle of the capstan is the point of contact with then whippen, the cloth is soon compressed and used, and the action is noisy.
(and that with the classical capstans, which are more rouinded than the ones I see on the picture.

So a new positionig of the capstans is probably welcome.(with an angle, unless those whippens heel are not angled but it does not seem to be the case.)

Nice shaping of the rail BTW (even if not so precise, you always can paper the flanges)

I don't see the problem. Kimball capstans were always installed square to the keys. The Steinway wippen shown has a square capstan block. I don't see the capstan-to-wippen alignment being a problem. It's going to be approximately the same as the original.

I question just how big a deal this might be anyway. After all, NY Steinways for several decades were built with angled capstans driving wippens with square capstan blocks.

ddf

Del that is the later case I have experimented (I thought on the pic that the whippen heel was angled)

WIth angled capstan/straight whippen, the force is on a smaller part of the cloth, it compress and the action get noisy.

I used that once as it allowed to arrange the leverage, the whippen attack angle being longer)
I traded back to original rebuild whippens after 3 years of professional playing.



I did not new the NY STeinway where using straight whippens on angled capstans for some time, and cannot understand the reason

At which years / era ?

BTW if the whippen have square "block" (whippen heel ?) it is a German one at last after 1930 - (I have no precise date for the trade to vertical capstan but seem to me before WWII if someone have some more precise date I would appreciate it)

Thanks for the replies.

At this point I'm curious to see it I can get this to work half way decent.

I picked up the the set of whippens and hammers for $75 and they're in nice condition.

I have all the whippens mounted and the next step is to shim and align them.

Those capstans look to be right out at the end of the threaded stem.

Hello Dan, Actually I haven't adjusted the capstans at all. That's how they where with the original whippens.

They just look a long way out of the key from here that's all.

Usually with old materials capstans are out a long way but with new whippen heel cloth and other cloths in the keyboard they have to be wound back in.

...and I've also seen NY Steinways built with vertical capstans and wippens that had the heel-felt slot set at an angle as was appropriate for the no-longer used angled capstans. It makes one wonder...

That day the working guy said,



(It was one of those days - maybe a Monday.)

What about the old saying "if it don't fit force it"

So far the only things I had to change was to remove the hammer rest and remold the whippen flange rail.
I didn't have to move the let-off button rail.
I haven't leveled the keys yet. but so far it appears to be working out.

Looking good! What are going to call your new hybrid?

A Steinball? I once used some Yamaha parts in a Chickering, which then became a Chickaha or a Yammering.

Keinway or Stimball.

Steinball?

Kimway?

Steinkimway?

Keinball?

Kimsteinballway?

I have enjoyed this thread. Interesting. I'd be curious about the touchweight with the new parts. Heavier? Lighter? It seems that the parts will work...with the modifications on the rail and a washer under the let-off rail...but what does it feel like?

Curious minds,
want to know!
Smiling,
I remain,

I kind of like "Kimsteinballway"

I'm planing on using Kranich & Bach legs so I'll have to call
a (Kranich & Steinballway)

One problem I have now is that there's no strings in the piano yet.

This is my first piano project to come this close to playable.

Thank you guys for all the help over the last few years.

Larry Buck was interested in seeing the pin-block drill in action so I haven't drilled all the holes yet.

I have to hand it to you guys, rebuilding pianos takes a lot of knowledge, patients, and is quite time consuming.
I find myself CUTTING CORNERS.

We would all cure more pianos if we had more patients. I guess we just have to be patient!