Blanton System

[Bent]

Well, guys, I just got off the phone with Jerry Blanton in San Antonio, TX.
Since we have been discussing his bell crank system a bit, I felt like hearing it from the horse's mouth.
Allan, I asked specifically about the bell crank on the round cross shaft with the set screw to hold it on there. Jerry told me he used a 10-24 hex socket set screw and had never seen a bell crank come loose. He also said to have about a half inch of material where you drill and tap the hole so you'll have lots of thread. He used a half inch long screw. I asked Jerry on your behalf if it was ok if you copied his idea. He answered, Hell yes! what ever you wanna copy, go ahead and do it.

He also told me that when you tune the pedals, surprisingly, the timing of the pedals follows automatically.
He admitted to two drawbacks to this system: The pedals end up being so easy to push that the least little touch of your foot will result in puling a string. Also, what we already discussed, the bell cranks being 3/8" widemakes for less room for rods, especially with more than two pulls on one string..one has to resort to bending rods.

Jerry is such a great guy to talk to. He's one of those people who gives you the feeling of having known him for years after talking to him for a few minutes. We finally said goodbye after almost an hour and a half, after I promised to call again sometime.
At 73, Jerry still makes his living playing the steel full time with several bands in and around San Antonio.

[Georg]

So, the angle of the bellcrank on it axle is set to keep the free-play for released pedal static regardless of Tuning? That will explain the corresponding Tuning and Timing.
On round axles it's easy to set bellcranks at any angle, and square axles can be set at correct bellcrank angles for released pedal by adjusting the return pedal-stoppers carefully.

Now, if those bellcranks could be made slimmer and maybe also in more than one size (max length of throw), the Blanton System might work fine for even quite complex rodding.

[Allan]

Good stuff Bent! Must have been a great call. Thanks for getting that permission too. I have been zonked by a pretty bad cold the last few days so I have not done any of the CAD work I wanted to get into. I am pretty frustrated by that but I think I may get back in front of the screens again tomorrow, for a while at least.

My intention was to do a drawing or two and then to calculate the amount of pull that could be generated at various offsets but now that I have received a bunch of info from various threads I can see that I was going way too deeply into the whole thing. A drawing showing the swing of a standard bell crank with the rod at the outer and the inner hole will show me the max/min I have available and I can extrapolate anything from that.As I said before, this is going to be a hobby guitar and I can see a situation where it will never be finished in a true sense. It is going to be an experimental vehicle for ever! (insert evil 'mad scientist' laugh here)

Damn, it's gonna be a lot of fun though...

Regards, Allan.....

[Bent]

Georg, quoting:
So, the angle of the bellcrank on it axle is set to keep the free-play for released pedal static regardless of Tuning? That will explain the corresponding Tuning and Timing.

-We never discussed itin so many words, but, yes, that would sound like the most reasonable solution.
On round axles it's easy to set bellcranks at any angle,
- Within reason, yes. There comes an angle where the pull is negated by too flat an angle, right?
and square axles can be set at correct bellcrank angles for released pedal by adjusting the return pedal-stoppers carefully.
-Yes.
Now, if those bellcranks could be made slimmer and maybe also in more than one size (max length of throw),
-Why would you make them shorter?(or longer) I think Jerry said he has about 2 inches of adjustment on the screw and found that to suffice for any pull.
He did tell me that he is working on a new guitar right now. This time, with slimmer bell cranks. The old ones were 3/8" thick. I imagine ones made out of mild steel could be shaved down to 1/4" without compromising strength? No matter what, though, it's not quite the same as a split crank that allows rods on the same pull to pass through.

I just had an idea. I'll see if I can make a model, photograph it and describe. Stand by. It might take some time.

[Allan]

I just had an idea. I'll see if I can make a model, photograph it and describe. Stand by. It might take some time.

Bent! We are just gonna HAVE to get you into the world of CAD!

Allan.....

[Georg]

Bent, since those bellcranks are easy to put on and take off the axle without messing with dismantling of axles and rods, a few variants for optimal use of space would make sense.

If only a half-tone change is needed, a short bellcrank could be used for that pull. That would allow rods to pass more or less along the same line to a longer bellcrank further out.

It is also possible to introduce a slightly side-mounted "rod-slider" as a one-way locking mechanism for the rod to a bellcrank. That would allow for more than one bellcrank on one rod - extending a rod past the bellcrank, without compromising the Tuning/Timing on each bellcrank.

[Bent]

Bent! We are just gonna HAVE to get you into the world of CAD!

Allan.....

Allan, I think it's the old story about the old dog learning new tricks. Let's see...we have you... we have my good friend Jesse, both of you know Inventor like the back of your hand. It's way easier for me to ask Jesse for help. It's amazing how fast he can whip up a drawing.

In the meantime I'll get working the old fashioned way.

[Bent]

If only a half-tone change is needed, a short bellcrank could be used for that pull. That would allow rods to pass more or less along the same line to a longer bellcrank further out.
I almost said that in my previous post, but then I visualized problems with it...Your short crank would have the knurled tuning nut on the underside..right? Then, with rods passing under thattuning nut, wouldn't that restrict the player's hands in finding and adjusting that nut? Also, a shorter crank would mean less tuning possibility...no?

It is also possible to introduce a slightly side-mounted "rod-slider" as a one-way locking mechanism for the rod to a bellcrank. That would allow for more than one bellcrank on one rod - extending a rod past the bellcrank, without compromising the Tuning/Timing on each bellcrank.
What you call the rod slider I take it to be the threaded thingie on the end of the rod? The one that the adjustment screw goes into?
Yes...right now I can envision that slider to be on like a 45 degree angle out from the side of the crank.
So, on a ten string we have 11/32" width between pulls, right? (Same as your string spacing) It is that space(minus a hair) that we have to work with.