Upright Damper Blocks

[Bill Ballard]

Hey Gang,
I'm about to make a set of damper blocks for a 1914 Steinway V (which
will include five of APSCo's tenor blocks which receive the overdampers
wires). The round dowels blocks, natch. May I run by y'all what I thnk
will be my procedure, so that those of you who have done this before can
get me going will all four tires on the asphalt?

1.) find some 3/8" maple dowel (larger gluing surface for more durable bond?)

2.) saw the dowel into a set of what I know will be over-long for each
section. (How 'bout taking the old damper lever with block and dampe felt
still attached, set a new damper lever with wire bent to match next to it
on the action frame in the piano. Now hold the new damper felt on the
string and place between it and the wire an adjustable machinist
parallel. Widen the parallel until the top of the new wooden lever is in
line (ie. as far away from the string) with the old lever. This now is
your distance from the new damper block's socket hole to the end to be
glued to the felt.)

3.) Center drill all the damper blocks to receive the damper sockets (the
same as used for grand damper posts). Set up a v-channel in a drill press
vise and index it so that  a hole drilled crosswise through it will hit
at halfway the socket's length down the length of the dowel block. Drill
the set of blocks for the damper wire hole.

4.) Insert the sockets in the blocks. Up to now, the socket do not yet
have the crosswise hole through which the damper wire will pass. Now go
back to the v-channel set-up and using the hole previously drilled
through the block as a guide,
continue these holes through the sockets.

5.) Back to the piano now for a final confirmation of the proper length
for the blocks. Trim as indicated.

There's a life insurance vending machine here at the departure gate.
Should I take out a policy?

Bill Ballard RPT
NH Chapter

"OK if we play video games while you work, as long as we keep the volume
down?"    .......late 20th century occupational hazard