screw in damper wires

[Susan Kline]

Dear Lance,

A couple of years ago Les Smith wrote the textbook on how these things
are adjusted. I'm copying his post below.

I hope you enjoy working on your old Chickering as much as I enjoy
working on "my" 1901 9-foot Knabe.

Susan Kline

------------------------------
Date: Thu, 03 Apr 1997 13:51:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Les Smith <lessmith@buffnet.net>
Subject: Chickering Damper System
Sender: owner-pianotech@byu.edu
To: pianotech@byu.edu
Reply-to: pianotech@byu.edu

Greetings, all!

I can't imagine why anyone would want to destroy the historical in-
tegrity of a vintage Chickering grand restoration by either replacing
or modifying the original "screw in" type damper system. It was beauti-
fully designed and allows complete regulation of the dampers with the ac-
tion still inside the piano. It IS different from the more conventional
"damper-wire secured by a flange set-screw" type, but those same elements
that make it different, also make it possible to replace the damper felts
without having to remove either the damper wires or heads from the piano--
assuming you're not restringing-- and to regulate both damper lift from
the key and damper seating on the strings with the action in place. Here's
how it works.

Start by lifting the damper stop-rail as high as possible and temporarily
secure it in place with some duct tape on either end. It has to be lifted
past the point where it can be held with the adjusting screws. Next, after
being regulated, each damper-wire was originally secured to the flange with
a small dab of burnt shellac, in order to keep them from twisting side-
ways. If the original shellac is still in place, it must be removed before
attempting to unscrew the wires from the flanges. After this, lift the
underlever as high as it will go, so that the damper-head and felt will
clear its neighbors, and unscrew the wire from the flange by turning it
counter-clockwise. Number the dampers as you remove them. You do NOT have
to count turns as you do this. First remove all the dampers that do not
interfere with a plate strut as they are being turned out. Then remove
those that DO interfere with a strut by rotating the damper head 90o un-
til it is parallel with the wire and unscrew it counter-clockwise. Re-
move these damper from the outside in, the last one you remove being the
one closest to the strut.

Then, once all the damper heads and wires have been removed from the
flanges, remove the damper heads from the wires by unscrewing them
counter-clockwise. Here, as when unscrewing the wires from the flanges
it is not necessary to count turns, but doing so will make the final
installation somewhat quicker. Once the damper heads have been removed
from the wires, the old felts can be removed, the felt surface sanded
smooth, the damper heads refinished (if you're doing so) and then the
damper heads and wires can be reinstalled in the piano, and then the
new damper felts glued on, assuming that this is something you do with
the damper heads installed in the piano. HOWEVER, a word here about re-
installing the old damper wires. It's best if you don't clean and polish
them, except for that portion which will actually pass through the damper
guide rail while in use. There are two reasons for this. One, by leaving
the threaded portions uncleaned, you will be able to see how far the dam-
per wire had been screwed into the flange, and how far the damper head
had been screwed onto the horizontal portion of the damper wire. This
will give you a rough regulation to start with. The second reason for not
cleaning the threaded portion of the wire is so that the wire will fit
more tightly into the flange and the damper head onto the wire until it
can once again be secured with burnt shellac. If you insist on cleaning
the wires completely, regulation will be a LITTLE more difficult, but no
big deal. Screw the damper wires into the flanges about 2/3 of the way,
and screw the damper heads onto the wires until they appear centered
over the strings. When re-installing the damper heads and wires, start
with the ones that interfered with the plate struts first, working from
the inside out. In other words, the first ones installed will be those
closest to the strut. Glue in your new damper felts, taking care that you
match up tri-chords and flats as they were originally. Let the felts dry
thoroughly (overnight). At the same time it's a good idea to replace the
damper lifter felts on the ends of the keys, using a material as heavy
and as thick as originally used. Now for the "piece 'o cake" fine regula-
tion of damper lift, and damper seating on the strings.

The system allows you to regulate damper lift from the key and damper
seating on the string at the same time without having to ever bend any
wires. Do lift from the key and then seating, one note at a time. Start
by reinstalling the action in the piano. (The damper stop-rail is still
in its raised position). Let's start with middle C. (BTW this all assumes
that the key-dip is correct). Play middle C and observe damper lift. If
the damper is lifting too SOON, grasp the damper head, raise it about its
neighbors, and give it one, or two complete turns CLOCKWISE. If the damper
is lifting too LATE, turn the damper head COUNTER-CLOCKWISE. After lift
has been properly set, attend to damper seating. If the left-most string
is "leaking", raise the damper head as high as possible above the strings,
and rotate the damper head on the short horizontal portion of the damper
wire one, or two complete turns clockwise, or front to back. If the right-
most string is leaking, rotate the damper head counter-clockwise one, or
two complete turns back to front. Proceed with all other notes in a simi-
lar manner. Take note that when you're adjusting lift for those dampers
which interfere with a strut, the damper head will have to be rotated
90o to turn them. For this reason, on these notes it probably is a good
idea to "count turns" when disassembling, in order that your rough regu-
lation be as close to "fine" as possible. Regulation of these few dam-
pers can be difficult, but once again, no "big deal". When you're finished
you will have damper lift from the key and damper seating on the strings
finely adjusted. Now remove the action from the piano.

This is BIG MISTAKE TIME! Virtually every restoration I've seen where
the original damper system is re-used has made this mistake. The dam-
per wires were originally secured to the flanges, and the damper
heads to the short horizontal portions of the damper wires with a small
amount of burnt shellac to prevent them from twisting from side to side
and from front to back. In other words once the dampers have been regu-
lated, the damper heads should not twist from side to side, nor should
they rock from front to back. Originally, "burnt shellac"--that is shel-
lac from which the alcohol has been burnt off to make it thick like mo-
lasses, was used. Today it is still used in player piano work as a sealer.
However a modern substitute is PVC-E glue--that is poly-vinyl-chloride
-emulsion glue, readily available from supply houses. It's best applied
with an inexpensive, throw-away artists brush. Remove the action
from the piano. Lifting each under-lever in succession, apply a small
amount of the glue to either side of the damper head at the wire. Then
apply a small amount to where the damper-wire enters the flange. Let it
dry thoroughly. It goes on "whilte", but drys "clear". Lastly, un-tape
the damper stop-rail and reposition it using the adjusting screws. Then
re-install the action and double-check your work. No sweat, right?!

The old Chickering damper system was well designed and worked beauti-
fully. Although the above directions may seem somewhat complicated ,
once you get the hang of what's going on, it's really easier than it
may first appear to be. When restoring one of those old Chickering
grands, there's no reason to replace or modify the original damper sys-
tem. It works fine. Chickering built some superb pianos. The great ones
came, without exception, before the turn of the century. Unfortunately
most pianists and technicians today, think of Chickering in terms of
those instruments produced in the last century--Aeolian Chickerings,
American Piano Company Chickerings, so-called "Quarter-Grand" Chick-
erings, etc. They were Chickerings in name only. The ones upon which
Chickering's reputation was founded all pre-dated the turn of the century.
No one who has ever heard a late 19th century Chickering concert grand
restored to original, pristine condition and played by an talented pianist
is ever likely to forget the experience. In terms of tone-quality and
"voice" they have never been surpassed. Those marvelous old instruments,
all but forgotten now, "spoke" and "sang" and "cried" and reached out
and touched the hearts of the audience and said LISTEN! THIS is a piano!
Once, long ago, when Steinway was still an up-start and but a pretender
to the throne, to say the name Chickering, was to say the word PIANO!

That's why the old ones deserve to be treated with respect.

Les (the sentimentalist) Smith
lessmith@buffnet.net

---------------------------------------
>Dear list,
>
>I am replacing damper felt on an 1883 Chickering grand.  I am not
>rebuilding/modifying the old system.  This piano has the screw in damper
>wires where the wire actually screws into the damper underlever.  My
>question is, "What is the best way to do this?"
>
>At this point, just thinking it through, I plan to screw in sample dampers,
>adjust for 1/8" follow and put damper felt on after it is screwed into
>position.  Checking with the action and pedals that everything is working
>well.  After all of the sample heads (maybe six) are working well, I will
>then screw in the entire set to the height (which will be 1/8" lower than
>the final height after felt is on) then glue the felt on.
>
>Am I forgetting something?  What wisdom has experienced taught you beyond
>not working on these anymore? Thanks for the help in advance!
>
>
>Lance Lafargue, RPT
>Mandeville, LA
>New Orleans Chapter
>lafargue@iamerica.net