Del, if I may ask, who manufactures MP II?

I don’t know who manufactures it. We purchase it from CP Adhesives[/b]:
http://www.cpadhesives.com/

And “MP II” was a typo; it should have been “MPA II.”

CP Adhesives is not actually a manufacturer. They repackage a variety of adhesives normally available only to very large users into quantities normal mortals can afford to purchase. Hence we are able to purchase MPA II in 5–gallon quantities. (I just checked their website and have discovered that “MPA II” is now packaged as CP-0201 and can be ordered online. You can still purchase it as MPA II if you call the company directly but it’s the same stuff.)

Another adhesive I’ve considered using for gluing hammers to these graphite tubes is their EVA; CP–0401. This is an ethylene vinyl acetate emulsion that is supposed to be good for bonding porous materials (wood) to non-porous materials (the graphite tube). We’ll see.

We have also used their urea and resorcinol adhesives. If you’re into pressing grand piano rims their CP-0503 is a good choice. It’s a powdered urea resin adhesive with a very long open time. It dries/cures hard and there is no springback.

If you are interested in their various adhesives you might want to download their Better Gluing Guide. It’s available as a PDF file download from their website. All of the adhesives I’ve purchased from this company have been of excellent quality.

ddf

One other issue on the shanks is the later process that would typically involve slightly bending or rotating the shank for final spacing and alignment to strings. Still required for WNG shanks.
I have heard of a failure of a shank when attempting the rotating but bending seemed to work ok without weakening it. - using heat -
So the hammer hanging process appears to require more precision at glue up.

THe factory was nice enough to supply what they use for my first application. Goes by the name of "Assembly 65". Probably similar to what Del is planning on using. CA also works but I'm not convince of the long term reliability.

In regard to what Gene mentioned about using heat to warp the shanks. To clarify, the shanks will twist (warp) nicely from side to side with a bit of direct heating. You can remove the heat from the shank with your fingers after twisting to freeze the position. Otherwise it will go back a little toward the original position. If the shanks is bent fore and aft while heated it will fail fairly readily.

I was able to remove glued on hammers after heating the "Assembling 65" with the cafreful application of heat. A hot plate with fine sand to immerse the joint in distributes the heat evenly.

I was working at the Dutch pianobuilding company Rippen in the 60-ties. They developped the Lindner model, and founded a new factory in Ireland for it. They used a lot of plastic in those lightweight piano, (mechanism and keyboard) but did forget to apply for patents. So Nippon_Gakki (the mother of Yamaha) did do so, after buying a Lindner from a Japanese reseller.
At the moment I'm working at a book on the Rippen/Lindner history. And just today I did happen to be involved with those patents- discussions.
The Rippen/Lindner-guys were a little bit too early, but no doubt, they did have clever ideas.

Couldn't you play these pianos underwater?

I'm not a rebuilder, but I took Bruce Clark's class on the composite action parts at the University of Western Ontario's seminar in London, Ontario last month. It was really interesting. Yes, the action parts are nylon/glass composite and the hammer shanks are off-the-shelf carbon tubing. He cautioned against heating with an open flame! But said heat gun is ok.

He also said that in the future MH pianos may be offered with composite actions as an option but they're not planning wholesale replacement of the traditional action in their pianos anytime soon.

Bruce also mentioned that some performers (I think he said maybe a third) who've tried the composite action found a difference in playing and said they'd need to adjust to it; my sense was that it might be hard to control for some players. But overall most liked it.

I am considering buying a Mason & Hamlin piano with the Wessell, Nickel & Gross composite action installed. I would be interested in finding out about how all the pianos rebuilt using these parts turned out, if there were any issues, and long term expectations.

Thanks

The action parts are supposed to be first rate. Ask Del Fandrich about them since I know that he's used them before.

Hi there:

I'm just finishing a Mason A with the composite parts. The action plays great and the regulation was smooth and straight forward. I know some have been used on some Yamahas at the Royal conservatory in Toronto where they will take a huge beating. There's a lot of advantages to it and they are good. There is no long term experience with them, but practically speaking, I expect them to last exceptionally well, or else I wouldn't have used them. They have been out there for a while under some demanding conditions and so far, all is well.

I would say, go for it.

Steve