Plastic parts

[fndango@azstarnet.com]

When I posted a query for the time to replace a set of plastic damper
levers a month ago, I got no takers. But I have seen some posts on the
subject of plastic parts recently, so perhaps this info will be valuable
to someone:

I recently finished replacing hammer & wippen flanges, backchecks,
jacks, and damper levers on a 1948 M & H console. Here are the
approximate times for replacing various parts: damper levers - 12/hr.,
backchecks - 60/hr., flanges & jacks- 40/hr.

For those who may not have tried this, here are some suggestions:

If you haven't invested in wire-bending pliers yet, do so. The
side-to-side kind is the most useful. The backwards-and-forwards type
can also be useful. The recently-available parallel reamer sets are
great for a $12 investment. I have found them at Schaff and APSCO. 

Procedure-wise, my first step was to replace the damper levers. Take out
an old one, snap off the part above the flange, and hold it against the
new lever while you approximate the bend of the old one. Install the new
lever, mount the head, and do a finer bending to match the neighbors.
Then cut off the excess wire. Next, I repinned the hammer flanges, using
the neighbors and the string cuts as guides. Chucking a backcheck tool
into a power drill saved some time in installing the new backchecks.

I should mention that I removed the hammer rest rail, the hammer spring
rail, and the letoff rail before doing any work. This action had a metal
action rail, and it was more difficult to work with than a wooden one.
Action screws don't go into a metal rail easily unless they are
perfectly straight and match the threading of the rail. Before turning
the screws in, back them up until they "click" into the right position.

I left the bridle straps disconnected and the keys out of the piano when
I reinstalled the action(as well as leaving out the aux. rails). This
left easy access for final regulation of the dampers, and for spacing
and traveling of the hammers. Then I installed the letoff rail,
connected the bridle tapes(making sure that the jack springs were
seated), set letoff, installed the hammer spring rail and hammer rest
rail, set rest rail position, lost motion, keydip, and damper lift from
key.

I think that covers the main items. If I've missed something important,
I think I can count on someone to spot it. Installing the action and
regulation took 8 hours (there was key easing and misc. minor stuff to
deal with, too).

This is a nice piano and well worth the effort. It's not easy to work
efficiently enough to make it pay very well, but it can be done.

Bob Anderson
Tucso, AZ