Sluggish/Sticking Dampers in Grand

Jon Page jonpage@mediaone.net
Sun, 15 Oct 2000 18:50:48 -0400


Is the work under warranty form the Toronto repair facility?

How long did it take you to do the few which you did ease?
Multiply that by the amount remaining.

Are the bushings tight?  Polished brass wire will work well too.

Are the felts new? If yes, then they should have cleaned and polished the 
wires.
I prefer "Rain Dance" for all metal polishing. Two coats.  It also cleans and
polishes the damper heads.

Regards,

Jon Page
At 05:23 PM 10/15/2000 -0300, you wrote:
>Hi List,
>Three or four months ago, I was called on to tune a piano, quite a distance
>away. When I got there I was told that in addition to the tuning, that 
>there were
>some notes ringing. I took out one of the offending dampers, and found 
>that even
>although the dampers were new, it still had the original wires.
>The plating had worn off them, and they did not slide easily between loose
>fingers. I polished the offending dampers with brasso, eased the hole, 
>rubbed with
>Protek, aligned, and tightened. They now worked freely.
>I now realize I should have done them all, as the person called back and
>said, some in the bass, now had the same problem.
>Is polishing and easing sufficient, or is it just temporary?
>Should I have replaced the damper wires with new?
>She had the piano reconditioned in the spring, in Toronto, telling them to
>do all they thought  might be needed, as she was going to an isolated 
>community.
>Should they have replaced the damper wires, with the plating gone? It didn't
>look like they had even polished them. She asked me if they should have 
>replaced
>them. I said they must have felt they were fine.
>If she wants me to replace the wires, is using the old damper heads alright?
>How does one make sure the wire will remain tight?
>How much time should a first timer allow for the whole job? I realize you
>have no way to answer this accurately, since you don't know my expertise, 
>I just
>thought you might remember your first time so I can give a ball park 
>answer. I would
>also like to know how long it should take, so I can base my quote on that 
>time. I
>don't think it is fair to charge the customer for my 'learning' time.
>Looking forward to the answers
>Thank you.
>Regards,
>John M. Ross
>Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada

Jon Page,   piano technician
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
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