[CAUT] M & H model 50

Aaron Bousel abousel@comcast.net
Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:58:52 -0500


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Hi all,
I sent this about a week ago and got no response, so I thought I'd try again.

Thanks to all who have responded to this. UMass is on winter break 
until a week from Monday and after that I'll have a chance to get 
back to that piano (private customer). In response to what I've read so far:
I will of course recheck the regulation, but I don't think that's the 
issue. The bobbling happens on a very soft blow when, I suspect, the 
key doesn't even go all the way down, so more key dip won't help. 
I'll check the profile of the butt "leather" to see if a thicker butt 
felt will allow better escapement without allowing the jack to skip 
out too easily.

To go back to why I landed on pinning and return springs as a 
solution: On a very soft, incomplete, blow the hammer is thrown at 
the string just as the jack hits let-off. The hammer then rebounds 
from the string but since the key has not been fully depressed when 
the hammer rebounds from the string (as someone said, it could be 
.005" short of complete travel and that could make the difference) it 
hits the jack and rebounds off of it. If there is no resistance in 
the pinning, and the hammer springs are weak, it will just bounce off 
the jack, back onto the string, back onto the jack, back onto the 
string, until it runs out of energy.

There was one part of my question no one answered. That was about 
good quality flange bushing cloth. I haven't had to buy any for quite 
a while so I was wondering about a good source. Also, since we had 
the discussion about glues; does anyone use anything but hot hide 
glue for rebushing flanges?

And just a bit off topic: My email program (Eudora) monitors incoming 
mail for questionable or just plain foul language, and alerts me by 
marking such incoming mail with one or more chili pepper icons in my 
inbox. Several of the posts on this topic arrived with "chilis" and 
it took me a while to figure that the program didn't like all this 
talk of "butts".

I'm also looking forward to checking out Don's info on the sticker 
tongue position.
(Butts and tongues--what is this list coming to?)

Aaron





>>There is a Mason & Hamlin upright model 50 (vintage 1975) I service 
>>and at the last tuning the owner was complaining about bobbling 
>>hammers. The hammer pinning is very loose. I played around with the 
>>note that was bothering her the most and through a combination of 
>>repinning and strengthening the hammer return spring was able to 
>>all but eliminate the problem. The piano is in good regulation. 
>>Here's the issue: The action is really poorly made. 1975 was not 
>>exactly the golden age for these. In repinning the one I did, I 
>>could see that the flange bushing cloth was poor quality. It would 
>>be wonderful to replace the whole action, but that's not going to 
>>happen. Does anyone know if it's possible to get replacement hammer 
>>flanges? These flanges are different from the generic ones sold by 
>>piano supply houses. If that's not possible, I have to go with 
>>rebushing what's there. Any recommendations on a good source of 
>>flange bushing cloth? I know M&H are making these again. Anyone 
>>know if the action design is the same?
>>
>>thanks,
>>Aaron
>>
>>------------------------------------------
>>Aaron Bousel
>>Registered Piano Technician, Piano Technicians Guild
>><mailto:abousel@comcast.net>abousel@comcast.net
>>(413) 253-3846 (voice & fax)
>
>
>------------------------------------------
>Aaron Bousel
>Registered Piano Technician, Piano Technicians Guild
>abousel@comcast.net
>(413) 253-3846 (voice & fax)
>
>------------------------------------------
>Aaron Bousel
>abousel@comcast.net
>(413) 253-3544 (voice)
>(413) 253-3846 (voice & fax)
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