[CAUT] Protek and Sluggish Dampers

[Timothy Coates]

Lawrence et al:

I had pretty much the same thing happen to me as Lawrence.   I've 
checked my two large containers of Protek, and they are Prolube.  I 
found 5 dampers that stuck up over the strings.  I took them out and 
found worn plating, dirt, and almost a verdigris grime on the wire.  
The wires had not been Proteked before.  I found the bushing felt to be 
hard.  I used a small round file to loosen the felt and a Swiffer to 
clean the wire.  All worked well afterwards.

I read Jim Busby's post (I think it was Jim) as to the difference 
between CLP and Prolube.  He has a point as to whether there are real 
differences.

I am thinking the Prolube may have only accelerated the situation.  
There seemed to be some sort of corrosion mixed with dirt that would 
have eventually caused problems.  The verdigris looking grime has me 
wondering.  The wires and bushings are in a place that is pretty hard 
to clean.  Perhaps someone has a way to clean that area so dirt can't 
build up?  Dust gets every place.

Because the plating has really deteriorated, I will be replacing the 
wires along with rebushing the guide rail.  I am thinking it might be 
more cost effective to replace the damper blocks with the wires.  Loose 
damper wires in the blocks are causing some noise in the bass section.

Thanks for the quick replies.  Conrad, it wasn't the levers, but it has 
a teflon assembly.   If the department can find the money (which does 
happen sometimes) we will be replacing the under lever assembly also.

My wife just told me my new iPod is charged.  Time to go play.

Tim Coates
University of South Dakota
University of Sioux Falls

On Mar 24, 2005, at 7:50 AM, Becker, Lawrence (beckerlr) wrote:

> Tim et al.-
>
> I have had something come up this last week where Protek CLP was 
> present,
> though not necessarily the culprit.  It was the first time I had seen 
> this
> piano, a 1966 Baldwin M scale.  I was hired to tune, but noticed that 
> when I
> pressed the damper pedal and released quickly, two dampers were slow to
> return.  I put Protek on the guide bushings, worked the dampers a few 
> times,
> and all seemed in order.  Two days later, prior to a run-through of the
> customer's recital (he plays violin), he called to say one damper 
> would just
> stay up in the air, and not return without being pushed back down.  I
> returned and found that damper extremely sluggish, and several others 
> slow
> as well.  I hadn't written down which dampers I'd put the CLP on; I 
> don't
> know if they are the same notes.
>
> These dampers are sluggish due to friction with the guide bushing; no 
> flange
> friction problems or sostenuto interference.  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.  Initially only three dampers seemed
> sluggish, but two more slowed up while I was working, so I treated 
> them too.
> The day after his run-through, the customer called to say yet another 
> damper
> had initially not returned, though after pushing it back down, they got
> through the program.
>
> I suppose I need to iron all the guide bushings, but why has this 
> started
> now?  (Really-I don't think it was my tuning technique.)  It is toward 
> the
> end of our heating season here, and we have had rain recently.  I 
> couldn't
> tell if the damper wires were contaminated; they felt greasy, but it 
> could
> have been my imagination.  It just occurred to me to check the upstop 
> rail.
> What else?  And again, why now?
>
> Advice hereby solicited.
>
> Lawrence Becker, RPT
> Piano Technician
> College-Conservatory of Music
> University of Cincinnati
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Tim Coates [mailto:tcoates1@sio.midco.net]
> Sent:	Monday, March 21, 2005 11:09 PM
> To:	University Technicians College
> Subject:	[CAUT] Protek and Sluggish Dampers
>
> Has anyone ever had dampers become sluggish after applying Protek to
> damper guide rail bushings?  I checked the archives for both Pianotech
> and Caut.  I don't see any mention of this happening.
>
> Tim Coates
> University of South Dakota
> University of Sioux Falls
>
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