Have
just returned from the convention in Adelaide, held at the
Stamford Hotel in Glenelg (See picture on right!)The seminars were
extremely good, and there was a great deal of useful
and worthwhile
knowledge shared. It was also good to catch up with old friends
from
previous Conventions, and make
some new contacts.
The sessions I attended were:
Polyester Repairs
& Polishing: Greg Webster.
This
was a basic introduction to art of repairing scratches and dents which often
happen to the polyester finishes of modern pianos. The kit which accompanies
such work is a small and very high-tech piece of equipment.
Abel Hammers (2 sessions) Led by Norbert Abel & his daughter Jennifer of the
Abel Piano Hammer Company in Germany. These
sessions covered the manufacture
of piano hammers. Piano hammers are made of
felt of course, and the story covered the
process of felt manufacture,
beginning with the shearing of sheep in Australia! A number
of short videos
also showed the process of hammer manufacture - an extremely refined
and
exacting procedure.
Left: the Abel Piano Hammer Factory in Germany.
Note the solar panels on the roof!
Grand Piano Regulation
(2 sessions) – David Jenkins (New
Zealand)
David’s sessions are always worthwhile, and delegates picked up a
heap of
good tips for improving the quality, speed and exactness of
grand piano regulation.
Upright Damper Replacement & Regulation – Kerry Cooper (QLD).Repairs and
Regulation of Older Uprights (3 sessions) – Wim Blees (USA, Hawaii).
Three very good sessions. For many of us,
this was the real coalface of our work, as it dealt
with pianos we are most
likely to meet in our everyday work
The convention event ended with a formal dinner - a great event where everyone 'let their hair down'!