---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment On 12-mrt-05, at 0:16, Michael Gamble wrote: > Hello List > I was asked to tune a piano in an old church (part Saxon, part Regency=20= > and part Victorian) in Lewes Sussex. This was Wednesday 9 March. When=20= > I looked at this very venerable Bechstein grand (No.2824 - figured=20 > walnut case)=A0I found MOTH had got there first. The reason for tuning=20= > was for a piano concerto being performed there on Saturday. New=20 > composer at the piano. Dilemma! Dare I take the action out, back to my=20= > workshop, knowing the tremendous liability? Answer Yes! But Thursday I=20= > had tunings and repairs ready for piano exams at a school and an old=20= > square piano to tune. Old.. as in 1775 built by Pohlman. Pitch A=3D393.=20= > But that was young compared to the house it was in.... 1530. Now=20 > that's OLD. Today I was committed to tuning seven school pianos. I=20 > last tuned them two years ago... YUK. So where does the tool fit in?=20= > Bechstein action on bench. Dismantle hammer rail complete with=20 > hammers. Disconnect all those little stickers Bechstein used to use=20 > between the keys and the levers. Many of the felt bushes .. GONE!=20 > (this job is getting bigger by the moment... bigger liability..) Find=20= > the hammer rest pads on the levers are eaten. Even centre bushings..=20= > eaten. That regulating button for the jack-top window ... eaten. Then=20= > a moth grub poked its head out and winked at me. I squashed it.=20 > They're hard, you know, quite difficult to squash. Remove the lever=20 > rail with all the levers attached and the little sticker dangling from=20= > them. Remove keys and get the vacuum going. Where were the balance=20 > rail washers? Eaten. Where were the front rail thick washers... eaten.=20= > The back rail touch felt was but a shadow of its former self...Eaten.=20= > Been there? So have I. But the action must be back and working by=20 > 3:00pm tomorrow for rehearsal. Removing the remains of the touch felt=20= > showed the need for something sharp and heavy. So I got a 1 1/2" cold=20= > chisel. Heavy thing. Sharpened it up very=A0nicely on the belt sander=20= > and that old felt and glue came off very quickly indeed. Replace all=20= > felts and find key-touch not deep enough. Dismantle action and try=20 > again. Then regulate. I have a little (as in 3" long)=A0flat ratchet=20= > screw driver for touch regulating in these old Bechsteins. Now the=20 > action is finished. Regulated on the bench from section string heights=20= > taken on site and using my home made bridge. But... what's that I=20 > see... poking its little brown head out of a hammer?=A0 Quick! Squash=20= > another one.. I really do fear for my stock of felt.... > 'Night all > Michael G.(UK) > Michael. What we do with these 'stickers suckers' is remove everything, and=20 install new wippens and hammers. Of course the keys need to be 'polished up' and a new leading is=20 inevitable. Fantastic repair, like putting an 8 cylinder twin turbo in that old car. friendly greetings from Andr=E9 Oorebeek www.concertpianoservice.nl "Where music is no harm can be" ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 3256 bytes Desc: not available Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/c9/84/91/26/attachment.bin ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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