[pianotech] English overdamper was Bluthner birdcage

[tom]

List,
Coincidentally to our recent thread I started repair on an English
birdcage---excuse me Joe--overdamper piano this week. Amazingly solid block,
board, bridges, full plate and no broken action parts. I sample raised a
number of strings from 100 cents low without event so after tightening up
plate screws as possible, applying protek on bearing points and with a
speech on broken string-plate concerns we plunged ahead. 
I removed the damper assembly before the P.R. as the action was going to the
shop anyway. With my accutuner and the entire scale strip muted I used the
Coleman-Defebaugh method only with no overshoot. That is from tenor up tune
middle string, then from top down tune right string to middle ,then from top
down again left string to the previously tuned other strings. Then bass to
pitch. Another pass same way and it landed a few cents flat but ready for
tuning when I return. I did remove that muffler bar as mentioned in an
earlier post. 
The whole process was a mass of noise with the dampers out but the accutuner
would catch the rising pitch of the middle string in the display well enough
to see. The rest tuned aurally with some plucking to help confirm where I
was. No string breakage.
 The action and keys will respond to the usual repair- regulation, but those
dampers! I keep hearing Joe G telling me that they are supposed to perform
that way. I am still hoping for some improvement in damping and will report
later.
	As to the final tuning I will study the recent postings. I wonder if
I could effectively tune without the damper assembly in via the ETD ? The
strings are easily accessible and I might try and strip mute the entire
scale again only pull the strip tight enough to also contact the middle
string. Then tune unison by unison reinserting the strip each time. I might
be jumping through too many hoops here and would be better served to follow
the Papps mute suggestion. That is if I can only find the Papps mute I
bought 30 years ago!

 Tom -dangerously becoming Joe Garrett -Driscoll