Hi folks! Michael Johnson wrote:
>
> Firstly in order to get the fulcrum working properly you must have the 
> minimum of friction at that point and indeed all the other locating 
> points at the back or front end of the key.I say front because Peter 
> will say his instruments have a front pin or bat, mine work from a 
> back pin and rack.
>
Michael! Michael! What are you accusing me of????    Bat pins? Those 
things are late piano pins, and are for much thicker keys too. Next 
you'll be accusing me of using cloth bushings at my balance pins!

The majority of my instruments (the earlier ones) have a rack at the 
back, with a thin wire between the key-ends or a slot in the end of the 
key for the wire. The thin wires need an over-rail since they aren't 
stiff enough unsupported. The wire I use is tinned 1/16" brazing rod.

The few late instruments I have made, after Shudi and Kirckman came on 
the scene, use front guide pins which are the same material as the 
balance pins: 3/32" brazing rod, tinned the way Hubbard described, using 
tin filings and cream of tartar.

A lot of English keyboards need lead weights. In the old instruments, 
generally two thicknesses of 1/8" sheet lead in a chiselled mortise 
about 1/2" to 3/4"long were used. The keys are of pine, not very thick 
(some under 1/2") which, not being anywhere near as heavy as 
lime/basswood keys, means that the ebony keyplates (and solid bone 
sharps) inevitably make the keys front-heavy. Hence the lead weights. 
QED! The leads are positioned so as to make the keys barely tail-heavy.

Best!

PR

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