[pianotech] Corrected diagnosis

[Arlie Rauch]

Having a bit of time, I revisited the Baldwin SF grand that had the squeaky pedal.  Alas, the rubber bushing was not the culprit.  The squeak is down in the box through which the pedals pass.

I removed the lyre and removed the bottom board in hopes of removing the offending pedal.  Inside there appeared to be dowels on both sides of the pedal.  A screw positioned in the dowel and half in the wood block seems to wedge the dowel in place.  After removing the screws, one dowel was loose, and the other was not.  It appeared that if I could get the dowels out, the pedal would come out, and I would be looking at the culprit.  (BTW, the pedal squeaked also when the lyre was totally out of the piano.)

If I had been at home in the shop, I would have worked with abandon to remove the stuck dowel and accepted the consequences.  But as I was on the road, I had to leave the piano with working pedals.  So as not to wreck anything, I put it all back together.  Some dry teflon did not help at all to eliminate the squeak.

Anyone know how those pedals are supposed to come apart without wrecking anything?  What will I find inside?  Perhaps the pin through the pedals extends into the dowels?  Does the pin turn in felt, or in something else?  The secretary at the church says the pedal has been squeaking a long time, but they usually play so loud that no one hears it.

Arlie Rauch
Glendive, MT