[pianotech] Damper Felt

[Dale Erwin]

Yes, yes...Ok, David. Of course I've heard Jack say this several times & it must be true so I'll stop whining now.  I did four damper sets, some with new  underlever systems in Jan...so I'm still feeling the pain. (786%#569))*65!!!!!!
 

 

Dale S. Erwin
www.Erwinspiano.com
Sitka Soundboard Sales
Ronsen Piano hammers
209-577-8397




 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: David Love <davidlovepianos at comcast.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Thu, Apr 21, 2011 5:23 pm
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Damper Felt



I don’t know, isn’t it kind of like saying I should get a set of hammers that I don’t have to voice.  Listening to Jack Brand and others there seems to be no question but that making and cutting damper felt is no easy task.   I once watched a damper presentation by one of the old timers from the Mason Hamlin factory (can’t remember his name now).  They cut everything themselves from sheets with a hand sharpened knife, even those bichord dampers with the dual overhead slots.  Beautiful work but time consuming no doubt.  
 
It would be nice to get felt that is just perfect but I haven’t seen it yet.  There’s always something to tweak.  Buying strips at the conventions is nice because you can examine the trichord felt and buy a year’s supply.  The bichord and monochord felt isn’t such an issue.  I will say that some are better than others at cutting the flats so that the sides are 90 degrees to horizontal.  The Tokiwa sets do a pretty good job.   The Laoureux 935T from the  Schaff catalogue I often use but it’s unstitched and unbacked if you prefer that.  The other issue with sets is whether the thickness of the flats matches the height of the trichord split dampers when you need to use them in combinations.   There it’s good to have a variety of strips in different dimensions.  
 
Nothing’s easy with damper work.  Underated (and usually underpriced) part of the job.      
 
David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com
 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ed Foote
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2011 4:51 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Damper Felt

 

Inre uneven trichord felt, Dale writes: 


>> I think trichord felt from anywhere must come that way. Tokiwa ...the same deal. I cut the slot deeper and add 1 to 2 pieces of kite string to get them to work.  If that fails, I use the trusty damper smushing plier on the fat leg.   

 

I have made them work by pulling the smaller side down with a long needle inserted lengthwise about 2/3rds of the way up the leg then trimming the bottom to make both legs even. But I shouldn't have to.  

Ed 


 
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