This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment Hi Ed: What a colorful story you told. Well done! Welcome to the world of = birdcage pianos. Like square grands, one has to appreciate them for = what they are-state of the art at the time, and horrible pains by = today's standards. The cases are beautiful, with fine marketry work, = inlaid patterns, veneer matching, etc, etc, but they can be troublesome = to service. =20 I've worked on several, my daughter has one, so these tips may help. = First in pitch raising and tuning, I've found it helpful to mark each = string with its note signature on the plate at the tuning pin which = corresponds to the note being tuned. This way, the action can be = removed once, and the piano can be tuned by chipping (plucking) the = strings. It may not be perfect, but close enough. =20 The damper problem stems from the dampers not exerting enough = pressure against the strings to effectively work. (Duh). As has been = suggested, make sure the damper wires have slight up and down play in = them to be sure they are not holding the dampers away from the strings = when the action is in place. These can be adjusted by adjuster screws = or bending the wires, depending on the design. =20 Next, be sure the action as a whole is up tight toward the strings = as far as it can go. If anything prevents this, even a few thousandths = of an inch, damper leakage will occur. Possibly you can bend the ears = of the metal latches (if it has them) to exert more inward pressure on = the action. Sometimes shimming the latches with flat washers will force = the action inwards. I've seen pianos where soft felt strips were glued = to the front of the dampers making them in effect a thicker damper. Now = one has to be sure that the damper comes away from the string fully when = the note is played. Desperate problems call for desperate measures, so = you may have to get creative in analyzing the problem. If damping was = OK before the tuning, and not now, try to see what may have changed. = It's always better to correct the original problem than to try to fix = symptoms. The difficulty is finding the original problem. Often I'd = like to have been paid for the time in finding it, not fixing it. Good = Luck, let us know how it finally is resolved. Mike Kurta ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Ed Carwithen=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Saturday, August 03, 2002 11:00 PM Subject: birdcage....long=20 Subject; Birdcage piano. Problem 1st, diatribe 2nd, and for those still with me the whole story = 3rd. I don't do many birdcage pianos, fortunately. Today...a doozie! After = tuning I could not get the dampers to damp. It is as though the action = itself is warped or something. From about F1 to C5 the dampers are not = contacting the strings sufficiently to stop the tone either individually = or collectively. Any note played sets the entire piano warbling. When I = push in on the action the situation is better, but not fixed. There is = plenty of play in the sustain pedal so that is not the problem (2 = pedals; the other moves a felt strip in front of the hammers). The = problem is so severe that even when cutting off sound with finger on the = strings the C5 (for instance) tone continues to sound from sympathetic = vibrations of other strings, almost as though the sustain pedal were = being held down.=20 C#5 on up seems to work fine. Starting with that note the dampers are = smaller, and the wooden stop at the bottom of the damper wire has some = slack before contacting the lower action mechanism. I tried adding some = slack to the C5 as well, but it didn't seem to help.=20 I tried adjusting the wire holding the damper itself toward the = string, but that didn't seem to solve it either. Perhaps it might have = helped that one tone, but the rest of the piano sounding sympathetically = made it appear not to have helped????=20 There is a wood dowel keeping the action from being moved back toward = the strings; one on each side. The locking mechanism for the action is = in good repair. HELP. Someone with great knowledge on English Overdamper pianos tell = me what I need to do to get those dampers working properly. 2nd. Diatribe: Nice owner. Recently retired, now wants to learn to play the piano. = This piano was sold to him for $600 in Eastern Washington State. It was = obviously sold "AS IS." 198 cents flat! A Bird cage piano yet...problems = with dampers as noted above...and FILTHY. They couldn't even bother to = take a vacuum to it??? Dust underneath the keys was so matted and thick = it was like felt. Even a 1907 English penny under there.=20 I know, I know..."Caveat emptor, Let the buyer beware" But still... = Here is a man who wants to learn to play the piano. He goes into a music = store for help. They sell him a nice looking piece of crap that can't be = played! "It just needs a tuning!" I can see the saleman giggling about = how they finally unloaded that white elephant on some unsuspecting rube. = Maybe I am wrong. If you are the man in the store in Eastern Oregon who = perpetrated this mess, email me and explain how I have misinterpreted = it. If this were someone looking for antiques to fix up and sell, or = someone interested in it as a curiosity, ok. But someone expecting to = come home and start in on John Thompson #1??? I don't think so! #3 The Whole Story. The call comes in last week. We establish a day and time, and today is = it. 60 miles from home. Turn on a secondary road that goes up the = mountain, then turns into a dirt road. 6 miles of washboard rattling = your eyeteeth, and sending up a dust cloud that could obscure the sun; = up the mountain, down the mountain, and a switchback every 200 ft. What = is amazing is that there were MANSIONS out there. 3 or 4 of them. The = clients house didn't appear to be much from the outside; manufactured = home on the absolute top of the mountain with a chain link fence to keep = out the deer. Inside is very nice, but what makes it special is that he = has put the house on top of bluff and made a second story below the = house. Very impressive. And he built it all himself bit by bit as he = could pay for it, so that now it is free and clear. Anyway, that is the = locale. The piano is beautiful. The outside has been well cared for. = Everything actually works, the keys all make sound, the pedals actually = work. But 198 Cents flat. Are you remembering that this is an = overdamper? Its bad enough to do that big a pitch raise on a normal one, = but on an overdamper it is a long day. I got a lot of practice taking = birdcage action in and out. and got it up to only -25 cents, and only = broke 1 string (which I replaced..ok?) Then the damper problem = manifested itself. Couldn't solve it, so came home to ask for help from = all of you.=20 Incidentally it is a Rintoul B. Not listed in my Pearce. Anybody know = anything? No serial number that I could find. Ed Carwithen John Day, OR Yes, I am member of PTG...associate.=20 Yes, I go to meetings.=20 Yes, I have looked for information in the Reblitz and in my Potter = course manual. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e1/de/cc/62/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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