[pianotech] Replicating Baldwin damper flanges...too wide between the ears

[Terry Farrell]

I haven't run into that exact situation, but maybe it would be easier  
to simply add an appropriate thickness to one or both inside sides of  
the ears (glue a piece of wood in there). You wouldn't have to rebush  
- just drill a hole larger than the hole in the ear. I think it would  
be fine to take up the needed space just doing one side.

If the springs you need are not available, you can bend your own.  
Spring wire is available. I've done it - not hard.

Or, especially because everything is so different, have you considered  
simply replacing the entire set of dampers - the whole enchilada? May  
not be any more expensive - more $$ in parts, but less in labor.

Sounds like you really had to give your thinking cap a good work out  
on this one - that's good exercise!

Terry Farrell

On Mar 5, 2010, at 8:48 AM, Joe Public wrote:

> I have been unable to find damper flanges for a Baldwin model 248  
> studio piano circa 1981 and have been forced to be creative. A  
> family of mice lived there for a while and made a habit of running  
> down the damper flanges, peeing as they went. Needless to say we  
> have rusty and breaking damper springs.
>
> I’m not crazy about how they made the damper flanges because the  
> part of the flange that goes in the center of the coil was not  
> engineered strong enough. Replacing them with new is like hitting a  
> brick wall trying to get parts through an authorized dealer. The  
> flanges are like a conglomeration of different standard parts. They  
> have a spring length of a standard upright damper flange, close to  
> the total length of a standard spinet damper flange and a groove  
> somewhat like a wire bead rail…the screw hole to bead doesn’t seem  
> to match anything in the catalogs and distance to center pin is  
> longer too.  I do see a little hope on the horizon though.
>
> Even though the distance from center of the screw hole to wood bead  
> of the action rail is different than standard damper flanges, I was  
> able to modify a flange in a way that seems to work well. I made a  
> jig for my table saw and cut just enough off the flange on the  
> inside of the groove to make it fit down snugly and align properly.  
> The location of the center pin makes the damper just a shade closer  
> to the strings, but I can compensate by adjusting the damper timing  
> and the bottom of the damper flange will have reduced conflict with  
> the big bass string vibration.
>
> OK, here is my only issue. The standard flange I modified is too  
> wide between the ears and the damper lever is able to slide left and  
> right…more than I would like. I’m afraid the seating of the damper  
> felt might change. Does anyone know of a way to increase the height  
> of a bird’s eye? I was kind of thinking along the lines of some kind  
> of spacer you can use while pinning…something that won’t mess up  
> friction tolerances or change with use or time.
>
> Does anyone on the list have any experience with this kind of  
> problem or have a possible solution?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Dave Streit, RPT
> Portland, OR
>

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