Original Post: The problem, damper rod lift just enough to clear strings with pedal bottomed (of course....damper motion reminds me of my Navy days).. Curiosity.....No fewer than 5 broken damper springs in scattered notes. Responses: <Probably rodent urine on the damper springs is the cause> Patrick <As for the dampers not lifting very far, is it just that the pelican spring is bending too far? Or is the bottom board flexing a lot? Don't you just "love" spinets??? Brian Trout> <Sometimes the pelican spring is almost ready to break and flexes enough where it will eventually break. Hard to spot. Joe Goss> Today was the day I tackled the Wurly. I arrived at the scene armed with the advice from Patrick, Brian, and Joe. Removed keys, then action. Closer investigation revealed that several hammer return springs were out of place, and damper springs that I thought were broken, were actually just disengaged. It's not difficult to envision that a mouse could displace hammer return springs, but damper springs........a whole 'nuther ball game. I corrected these problems and turned my attention to the trapwork. I found no evidence of mouse urine on any of the springs. (BTW, my knowledge of Latin is courtesy of Warner Bros. :-)) Some previous repair person (homo-handi-jackshinolus) had apparently trimmed both grommets on either end of the damper actuating rod to shorten the actuating length. I shimmed to gain the appropriate damper pedal action. That is when I noticed most of the monochords were singing. Closer check revealed the damper felts were hard. Apparently this was the problem the previous repair person was attempting to correct in a misguided way. I readjusted the pedal regulation just enough to stop the majority of the singing, which still gave acceptable pedal regulation. I will replace/adjust these dampers at the next tuning. On this piano, I learned the value of careful observation, and to expect the unexpected. And, thanks to a bountiful supply of this genus in my area, I'm down to less than 40 minutes on action removal and replacement. And, best of all, I arrived on the job with confidence that I could solve the problems in a timely fashion, thanks to help from experts.....who shall remain anonymous to my customers......heh, heh. It was a great feeling. The customer is happy, with the work.....and is extremely relieved to be rid of the mouse evidence. I am thankful for this forum and for those who make it such a great resource for me. Tom Robinson East Tennessee
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