Rob, I have tuned several G L, but consoles and studio. As Tom said, usually in a fork like that you have a rubber (neoprene) grommet below the dowel. Apparently a previous tech switch out the rubber (that was probably as hard as a rock and noisy) with the dowels you noted. Schaff had the rubber donut grommets (page 130, item # 3784) or you could replace the wood dowel with the Square Rubber Grommets (which have a nut in them) (page 130 #3785). Ken Gerler ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Driscoll" <tomtuner at verizon.net> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:02 AM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Gordon Laughead spinet with lifter wire issues > Subject: [pianotech] Gordon Laughead spinet with lifter wire issues > > > , I did a quick evaluation on a piano this afternoon, a 1961 Gordon > Laughead Spinet. It has a few issues, chiefly.. > When the customer is playing the piano, every now and then the lifter wire > pops off the back of the key where it attaches. The lifter wire is > threaded with a dowel and two different thicknesses of felt washers. The > U-shaped metal bracket at the back of the key that holds the lifter wires > in place seems to attach between the two felts. >> > Rob, > Rob, > This type of lifter wire is usually inserted into a hole at the back > of the key and not into a fork as shown. They still have a tendancy to > pop out especially on a sharp blow but when inserted into a fork as you > have here I can see why they won't stay put. The typical pickup wire for a > key as shown has a nut and rubber (neoprene) grommet .. > I wonder if these were changed after manufacture or it was a factory > decision. It's possible a tech replaced the grommets when they went bad > with this setup. I would see if a new grommet would fit into the fork and > if so make the change. > Use care when adjusting these when they are tight. The wire will rotate > and can break the whippen where the elbow is pinned.It's a bit awkward > when the action is in but I grap the elbow with a parallel pliers under > the keybed and turn the nut with the Schaff tool that looks like # 3333 > in the most recent catalog. > My first mentor , the late Paul Hegent of Sebring Fl. sold new Laugheads > out of his shop but this was in 1973-4 not 61' . > Good luck, > > Tom D. >> >> > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC