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In a message dated 11/7/2004 10:06:39 AM Pacific Standard Time, Erwinspiano
writes:
List.
I thought I'd share some more piano related stuff to clean out any
potential political residue lefet over in anyones palate from last week as my
penance for irritating some with My uncharacteristic share of dreaded political OTs
post.
I've been modifying many of old Steinway damper systems with a variety of
features which greatly improves its functionability & adjustability. Many of
these ideas are not my own but have found them useful just the same.grin.
I've been installing the new Renner Back actions fairly routinely which gives a
more effective sostenuto usage with the spring loaded tabs & also the fact
that individual parts can be taken off for service if necessary without
disassembling the whole dang damper action I.E. to reglue some flanges that have
come unglued or repin a part or two.
Along with this I've also found that a few other modifications which are
not difficult to execute also increase performance.
! Installing the tray center pivot pin so it is in line with the underlever
centers. This requires modifying or making a new pivot block for at least
one end.
Result. 1.This eliminates the disparity of function in the upstop
adjustment. Meaning an upstop adjustment is made which is equally good for pedal lift
as is it is for individual key lift.
2. the heavy pedal syndrome is made more normal by reducing weight &
friction felt on the pedal & eliminates much of the damper thumping on the strings
by less experienced players
3. Eliminates the severe dipping of the underlevers when the tray is out
of adjustment that digs out the key lift felt with extra friction caused by
the out of adjustment.
4. removing wooden or brass pedal pitmans that (always) squeak. This
requires drilling an enlarged hole thru the keybed 3/4" or so & installing a
wooden dowel with 3/4" front punchings glued to each end & a balance rail pin
installed and protruding 3/16 inch out of the dowel. The tray & pedal lever are
drilled to accommodate the felt & pin
The result is a totally quiet squeak-free movement
5. Install a new set of Modern adjustable pedal rods. What a blessing. See
pianotek
6. Install a capstan as a sustain pedal lever travel limiter on the bottom
of the keybed. This removes the archaic block of felt method formerly
employed on all Stwy pianos, & others of course & allows for a precise amount of
damper lift& lever travel. A nice feature which keeps the underlevers from
slamming into the upstop felt creating those annoying dents which reduce function.
7. relocate tray return springs. In these pianos either a leaf spring type
was used in the top treble end of the tray or in later models a coil spring
was applied on the bass end of the tray causing the tray to warp.
The new springs are fit between the lever sections. One is mounted close
to the pitman which is where it needs to be to keep the tray from being
twisted during lift,resulting in a strange array of damper lift setting problems &
eventual tray warpage. Some systems require another mounted between bass and
tenor sections.
8. The last thing which is new to me came about because of a conversation
with David Love about this. Del had done a tray for him this way & I'd heard
about others doing this so...
I mounted small11/32inch long capstans under each underlever. This
allows for a very precise & perfect damper lift without all the usual futzing and
straining to move a lever in the flange just the tiniest fraction of a mm/or
inch for standard folks.
The lip of the tray needs to be thinned by about 3 mm to allow for capstan
head clearance. A quick pass on the table saw does this in a second.
Drill the appropriate size hole for the capstan shank & press with arbor
press or Tap in carefully with a hammer with the tray supported really well
8. Installing the extra wide bichord agraffes from Pianotek on the lowest 4
bichords increase the ability of the bichord felt to get between the large
bichord bass strings which really improves damping.
9 On many pianos, especially longer ones I also find improved damping by
using four equally cut pieces of damper felt in the mono- chord section & on
the first 2 to 4 bichord notes. This is especially helpful on longer strings &
also on smaller pianos on which I have had all my mono chords double wrapped
by the string maker.
An Addendum.
Some later stwys , 1950 ish & later came without return springs. I've
learned this the hard way, ( of course), that these need springs especially in
the bass. This is my humble opinion based on failure to damp experience, even
with proper fitted guide rail bushings & nicely fit wires, head lift etc.
These upgraded systems are a huge improvement over the original equipment
setup IMHO and are not difficult to do. It does increase labor time but it's
worth it
Hope this is food for thought and comment.
Dale Erwin
Erwins Pianos Restorations
4721 Parker Rd.
Modesto, Ca 95357
209-577-8397
Rebuilt Steinway , Mason &Hamlin Sales
www.Erwinspiano.com
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