..damper seating..

[Delwin D Fandrich]

Keith,

Baldwin verticals do not use that type of action mounting. The top of the bracket is
curved in to meet a cast stud on the plate. There is a hole in the top of the action
bracket through which a bolt is place affixing the top of the bracket to the plate.

The problem is in the way the bottom studs are installed. The action is installed with the
piano on its back just after the keybed is installed. It is first bolted to the plate.
Then the bottom studs are installed from the bottom of the keybed with an impact wrench.
They are run up until they seat into the "cups" cast into the bottom of the bracket. When
the impact ratchet stops turning, they are high enough. Of course, by then the bracket is
also under a great deal of compression and quite nicely bent. It is not possible to remove
one of these actions without at least some of the grief that Mike has encountered.

However, there are ways to make the task a little less bad. Before removing the top action
bracket bolts, turn each of the bottom studs down until there is just a slight amount of
free play between the bottom of the bracket and the stud. Check this by wiggling the
bottom of the bracket back and forth with one hand while turning the stud down. Once you
have a bit of free play on each bracket -- and do go back to the beginning and check each
one before proceeding -- turn each one back up just until you feel no more free play. Now
remove the upper bolts. You should be able to remove the action from the piano with
considerably less difficulty. You will still have some regulating to do, but probably not
as much. Mostly it's just capstan height.

Regards,

Del

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Keith McGavern wrote:

> >...One thing I have noticed, and had a
> >problem with is that the action bolts are already turned up too high. I
> >dread removing the actions on these because it will not go back in
> >without first lowering the bolts. Then try to get them back to where
> >they were.......
> >Mike Masters
>
> Mike, if I understand what you are experiencing, you might appreciate this
> bit of information.  *Don't* change the position of the action support
> bolts to make the action easier to remove.  Instead, modify the action
> nose/retaining bolts, where the action bracket retaining forks hold the
> action in place, by forcing them upwards a bit.
>
> After removing the action without changing the action support bolts (it can
> be done with the aid of hammer shank pliers and some tugging), use a
> regular claw hammer or such, and bend the offending bolts upwards by
> hitting them.  Or use the handle of an extension tuning lever by sliding
> the handle onto the nose bolt, and bend the offending bolts upwards.
>
> After a few attempts you will have them in just the right place, not too
> loose, and not too tight, allowing the reinstallation and future removal of
> the vertical action an easier task.
>
> Keith A. McGavern
> kam544@ionet.net
> Registered Piano Technician
> Oklahoma Chapter 731
> Piano Technicians Guild
> USA