Tech Tip...damper voicing

[Les Smith]

Sorry, Ron, I have to disagree. If you're going to go through all the
trouble of removing the damper block from the wire, it would seem that
replacing the old felt with a new one should be the FIRST resort and not
the last. The last resort would seem to be removing the old felt from the
block, sanding out the grooves, regluing the old felt to the block and then
re-installing it. Of course, if you're on a call 40 miles from home and don't
have any new felts with you, reusing the old one sure beats all heck out
of a callback for one damper!

Les Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net

On Mon, 3 Jun 1996, Ronald R Shiflet wrote:

> Dear list,
> 	For quite some time I have used a method for vertical dampers
> that I call 'damper voicing'.  I'm sure everyone else out there uses it
> also,  but I've never heard it mentioned.
>
> 	One day I was fighting a damper that refused to work even after
> the rules were followed.  I realized then that there was no point in
> bending wires...kind of like trying to reuse a gasket.  It seemed that I
> would work and work to get the lift and timing right but alignment on an
> old felt and trying to bend a wire in those small of increments was
> inefficient.  More often then not, I would mess something up trying to
> get this precise of an alignment.  The real problem is felt seating.  I
> have seen countless people (myself included) go bending wires only to
> make it worse, trying to seat old felt with grooves in it.
>
> 	Now, I simply remove the damper block with felt  from the wire.
> Then I take an emery board or my hammer filing paddle and I simply sand
> out the grooves just like you do a hammer.  Then re-install...it's
> pretty simple.  On rare occasions and for varying reasons, I've had to
> cut the felt off the block.  Then I glue it in and the glue seats the
> pad.  The very last resort is, of course, installing a new felt but that
> is rarely needed since this method usually solves the real problem.
>
> 	I need to caution though, that this method will not work when the
> other rules are not followed.  Correct damper lift, evenness, spoons, and
> especially the damper pushing against the string are all mandatory.
>
> Ron Shiflet, RPT
> Phoenix Chapter
> Ron_and_Lorene@Juno.com
>