Keyslips making keys stick

[Paul McCloud]

Hi, Paul:
I've seen a lot of this kind of binding with the keyslip.  Especially in said brand.  I used to move the keyframe backward (yeah, I know.  The optimum strike point is lost).  At least the piano would play again.  What really needed to be done was to plug and redrill the dowel pins in the cheek blocks and move the blocks forward a few mm's.  Sometimes I put felt strips on the front of the cheek blocks to shim out the keyslip.  Usually, on the newer grands, the cheek block has a notch which engages the keyslip and holds it.  I've tried shimming up the bottom rear edge of the keyslip, but that does nothing.  I've sometimes also added a small screw to the front of the cheek block, which can be used to adjust the keyslip without shims.  I also sometimes sand the ends of the keyslip so it will fit without binding on the inside of the arms.
 Not a huge deal but annoying and time consuming to remedy.  Welcome to the club.
    Paul McCloud, RPT
    San Diego

Paul McCloud
Service Technician for PianoSD.com
www.pianoservsd.com 
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: paul bruesch 
To: Pianotech List
Sent: 06/19/2008 10:06:57 PM 
Subject: Keyslips making keys stick


I've noticed a number of keyslips that bow (crown?) and/or tilt towards the key fronts, thus causing keys to stick down when played. 

Today I visited a YC TG150 baby with this problem.  I had pulled the action in it just over a month ago and all was well when I left that day. Today, I could hardly get the keyslip out (or back in), the ends were binding so tightly against the sides... much, MUCH harder than last month.  

I've shimmed a couple of these out now with front rail felts which results in a nice even gap, but I curious why I'm seeing so many of these lately. At least 50% are on pianos that I either have not seen or at least not removed the keyslip in the past. The one I did two days ago had a folded up business card (current owner's mom's tuner's card from 20 years ago) already in there.

I've only been tuning for about 3-1/2 years, and I see more pianos these days, but the incidence seems to be picking up noticeably. Is this such a common problem in general? I'm thinking that today's was possibly caused by increased humidity, except I believe there was a thread recently that mentioned that expansion isn't really an issue along the grain... and come to think of it, I don't believe that this keyslip is "wood" anyhow.

Thoughts?
Paul Bruesch
Stillwater, MN
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