[CAUT] Protek and Sluggish Dampers

[Fred Sturm]

On 3/24/05 6:50 AM, "Becker, Lawrence (beckerlr)" <BECKERLR@UCMAIL.UC.EDU>
wrote:

> I removed the offending
> dampers, ironed the bushings with a bridge pin in a rheostated 25-watt
> heating iron, sprayed a little TFL-50 on the bushings, and polished the
> damper wires with 4/0 steel wool.

    I use an umbrella tool for the same purpose: heat it with a lighter or
match before inserting between wire and bushing. The umbrella tool should be
tapered to knife edge thin, and from U shaped to a point (ground down with
wheel or file or whatever from both sides) to make it a usable tool, and not
just a guide bushing remover <g>. But heating it allows it to iron and size
the felt without removing the damper wire.
    I, too, have had mysterious problems with seizing dampers in Baldwin
grands, especially my personal one. Never figured out why. Very
unpredictable. Some day I'll bite the bullet and re-bush the guide rail. I
think there was some strange residue in some of the bushing felt Baldwin
used over a period of time. Same kind of seizing seemed to show up elsewhere
- particularly in trapwork bushings. That was a chronic problem with loan
program Baldwin grands I faced in the early 90's. I never found a cure other
than felt replacement. No lubrication seemed to work permanently. Kind of
like those Asian flange bushings (though I never found flange bushing
problems of that sort in Baldwins).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico