Action Centers

Wippen@aol.com Wippen@aol.com
Sat, 04 Nov 1995 21:34:42 -0500


Keith McGavern wrote:

>Lawrence, by this are you suggesting to install teflon bushing >inserts into
>flanges that originally had cloth bushing in its holes?  Novel >idea, if so!

Not so novel,actually. I've done this many,many times over the years. Saved
my hide on many the old upright and other out of production pianos. Granted,
it's a last resort technique. It's clearly NOT the solution to the Samick
problem, though. Next time you encounter one of these "squeeky tight" centers
look at the pin with a powerful magnifying glass. The ones I've examined look
pitted ,with bushing fibers stuck to it. A lot of folks think that there is
some latent acid that is still in the cloth from it manufacture that, in
combination with heat(friction) causes the reaction that messes up the pin.
This can be further exacerbated by not enough clearance between the birdseye
and the arms of the flange. A little heavy playing and it will freeze up.
They *will* actually squeek. Protek and some other solutions help, but the
permanent cure is to ream and re-pin, paying attention to the amount of play
at the birdseye.BTW- if there is tightness here, file the arms,not the
birdseye.

Paul Dempsey
Marshall University
wippen@aol.com



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