Return Springs on a Baldwin 243

[Bill Ballard]

List,

I have a piano teacher with a legitimate complaint about repetition 
on a 20 year-old Baldwin Studio Upright 243. The jack won't make it 
back under the butt until the key returns, and sometimes not even 
them. The butt and catcher leathers are also a synthetic which i 
would describe as 220 grit.

My test for repetition is to use a finger of the LH as an up-stop, 
and to find at what point lowering that stop will prevent to jack's 
return

The problem clears up when I lift the hammer rail for ~1mm lost 
motion at the keyboard, but I'm uncomfortable leaving in a lost 
motion of this size.

I did remove the spring rail and bend all springs to that the butt 
had a minimum of return from the string (a bend going from 3pm to 
5pm, as viewed from the bass). The repetition didn't appear to have 
gained, and now, the action is too slow in very quiet playing. So 
regardless of what positive effect weakening the hammer springs in 
relation to the jack spring might have, I'll have to backtrack from 
this to get a more positive return in quiet playing.

I also changed one hammer butt for a brand new  Baldwin butt with 
beautiful smooth buckskin, but once again it wasn't clear the the 
dramatic step down in friction with real butt leather helped out the 
jack's return. Starting over with a complete set of new butts is an 
option

Any ideas on improving repetition in this piano?


Bill Ballard, RPT
NH Chapter PTG

"Can you check out this middle C?. It "whangs' - (or twangs?)
     Thanks so much, Ginger"
     ...........Service Request
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