[pianotech] reverse solution

[tnrwim at aol.com]

I'm very familiar with Kimball's sticking centers. 5 years ago I bought a Kimball from a dealer, for the cost of the move. It had tight centers all over the place. I had very little work back then, so I spent about 12 hours repinning the entire action. Sold it to a couple from church. Tuned it 2 years later, and took care of about a dozen or so tight centers. Got called back a month ago, and all of the centers were tight again. I replaced all the hammer butt flanges, and repinned most of the jacks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that either they will move back to the mainland (they're military), or I will retire and move back to the mainland, before they call me again. :)

Wim


 



-----Original Message-----
From: John Formsma <formsma at gmail.com>
To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Mon, Sep 3, 2012 11:24 am
Subject: Re: [pianotech] reverse solution


That's true for key sticks. However, Wim said specifically that various action centers were tight. Works the reverse of key sticks. More humidity = tighter centers.


Wim, I assume you checked the balance holes, right?


I personally think the problem is right there in front of you. The Kimball name plate.


OK, all joking aside. Many Kimballs that age have multiple problems. Tight balance rail and front rail bushings, tight centers, weak jack springs. Why the sticking is worse without the DC doesn't make sense, assuming the real problem is tight centers. I think you need more data. But, that would involve a return trip to a Kimball, which is currently working well enough to please the customer. Surely you have better things to do with your time, like get a root canal with no anesthetic.


;-D


-- 

John Formsma, RPT

Blue Mountain, MS




On Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 4:00 PM, John Ross <jrpiano at bellaliant.net> wrote:

As the moisture leaves the keys, the wood fibres draw together, making the hole tight on the pin.
A person tends to think that as the wood dries 'shrinks' the hole gets bigger, as seems to happen with tuning pins in the winter/dry time.
I think I am 'thinking' correctly, if not, I am sure I will be corrected.
I have been wrong before, and will be again.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia.


On 03-09-2012, at 5:25 PM, tnrwim at aol.com wrote:


Tuned a 40 year old Kimball console on Tuesday last week, 30 cents low.  All the keys were working, except for a few slightly sluggish jacks in the upper register. But after a treating them with Protek, they worked fine. The piano has a DC, but it wasn't plugged in, which I suspected was causing the few jacks to be tight. So I plugged it in, and told the customer to leave it on 24/7, as are all DC in Hawaii, explaining the heat will keep the action from freezing up, 
Got a call on Friday saying the keys are sticking. Went back that evening, and sure enough, about a dozen jacks, hammer butts,and wippen centers were very tight.  I told the customer that it wasn't supposed to work that way, so I unplugged the DC, and told the customer to call me if the keys were still sticking in a couple of days. This morning he called and said all the keys are working. Go figure. 
 
Any one want to speculate why? 
 
Wim Blees, RPT
Hawaii

 











 
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