troublesome rep.spring adj. (was Baldwin warranty / 743 question)

[Mark Cramer]

I've run into this more frequently with Yamaha actions, Otto.

With rep.springs set; "mild," the jack will not fully return during a lever
height "wink" test.

To clarify we're talking about the same thing; the spring setting easily
passes the "smooth/immediate rise out of check" test, however, the rep.lever
can be raised 3 or 4 mm (1/8" plus) above, and the jack will still not
return fully under the knuckle, when released slowly.

I don't like this situation either, but in such cases resort to setting rep.
lever height by spec. rather than feel (via the jack tender), and trust all
works as it should during actual playing conditions.

So what actually causes this?

(BTW, I've encountered this more often with lighter-than-original hammers.)

Last April, Denis and I tried to puzzle this through on an older C-3.
Re-pinning the lever flanges seemed to help. On the way back from Dallas
last June, Roger J. and Paul Chick seemed to lean in this direction also.

Bill Spurlock on the other hand suggested the rate (relating to wire guage,
coil, etc.) of the springs is closely engineered to match the weight of
hammers, providing a wide range of effective adjustments. Major changes in
hammer weight however, take the springs outside their "predictable" range of
adjustment/response.

I can see both having a factor, in that firm pinning (this center needn't be
as free as the others) in the rep. lever will have a moderating effect on
the action of the rep. spring.

Anyone else?

Mark Cramer,
Brandon University





-----Original Message-----
From: caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org]On Behalf Of
Otto Keyes
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2004 2:38 PM
To: College and University Technicians
Subject: Re: Baldwin warranty / 743 question


All kidding aside, the 243's are real work horses, as Guy mentioned, aside
from some of the problems with excessively tight pins, various problem
components mentioned in past posts, & tone that rivals a practice room
Yamaha on steroids. (gimme the steam)  As spinets go, the Acro mentioned
really was at the top of the heap -- bearing in mind that it's still sitting
on a heap.

In general, I prefer the grands.  Well maintained, they can sound pretty
good.  One thing that I've noticed, action-wise, is the tendency for the
hammer shank to drop to the cushion when checking the jack height, unless
the springs on the rep lever really make the hammer jump out of check.  Any
body have any observations on that?  This is common when too heavy a hammer
has been hung, but I'm sure some of these were original hammers with a few
shapings on them.  This phenomenon seemed more common on Baldwin actions
than others.

Otto

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no>
To: "College and University Technicians" <caut@ptg.org>; "Newtonburg"
<pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 10:55 PM
Subject: Re: Baldwin warranty / 743 question


> Reading all the posts that have been written I find myself wondering if
> there is anyone that likes anything at all that Baldwin has produced in
> the last ....say... 20 years.
>
> I'm curious as to which models present and recent past are considered
> good instruments by our collective here.
>
> Anyone care to list up your top favorite 3 models ?
>
> RicB
> _______________________________________________
> caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

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