[pianotech] spoons or wippens

[John Delacour]

At 13:06 -0500 16/2/10, wimblees at aol.com wrote:

>The rust we have here in Hawaii comes more from the salt air than it 
>does from high humidity...
>
>So polishing the spoons will not be possible. I will either have to 
>replace them, or replace the whole wippen.
>
>I've never replaced aÊset of spoons. Would it be "easier" to do 
>that, or replace the whole wippen?
>
>Wim

Why on earth did makers stop using brass for spoons and key pins?! 
Thank goodness most of the pianos I work on have nickeled brass parts.

Salt or not you'd be letting yourself in for a lot of work and 
expense doing either.  If you clean up the spoons with wire wool, or 
if necessary with P.800 paper stroking from bottom to top (not 
sideways) and then smear them with tallow, they will last for a long 
time.  If that sounds too simple for you, then talk face to face with 
a local electro-plater.  It is possible to plate the spoons without 
removing them from the rider.  Take a dozen or so along to him and 
ask him how he'd like you to tape and wire them together to 
facilitate his work.  It should be quick and cheap.

>-----Original Message-----

>wimblees at aol.com writes:
>
>This is a 40 year old Hamilton. There are two problems. The action 
>is heavy. Everything is regulated the way it is supposed to be. The 
>only thing I can figure out is that the damper springs are too 
>strong. But that leads me to the second problem. Although each note 
>dampens, there is a general after ring in the whole piano.

It sounds to me as if it needs re-centring, probably throughout. 
Have you tested the centres?  If the damper springs are "too strong" 
they may well have been bent that way by a previous tuner to try to 
overcome the friction at the centres.  That's not the way to do it. 
Generally speaking heavy action equals stiff centres.  If you say it 
is "properly regulated", then it must be that.

JD