Steinway pitman

[Newton Hunt]

The probable cause is not the pitman itself but the buckskin tacked to the
pedal lever and/or the buckskin the lever spring is working on.

The pitman lower buckskin is not glued onto the wooden lever.  By slipping some
glue under the lever you can get some more years out of the system.

If you want to keep the original design replace all the buckskins and the felt
cloth lining in the pitman hole.

The problem is that the pitman does a complex dance up and down, back to front
and front to back and the buckskin the the felt get the worse of it.

Steinway is now using and pitman of wood with a large flet punching glued onto
each end which acts as a universal joint by seating into flat botomed holes
drilled into the damper tray and into the lift lever.  This system is totally
quiet and frictionless affording the pianist better control of damping.

Make the following:
      A 2"x1.5"x3/8" block with one long edge cut at the same angle as the
damper tray bottom to front edge with a 5/8" hole drilled 1/8" from the inside
edge of this block.
      A block 2"x1"x3/8" glued to the angles edge with two holes drilled to
accomodate two drywall screws to go into the tray edge to hold guide in place.
      2 5/8" action cloth punchings.
      1 3/8" dowel to be new pitman: about 4" long.
      1 wedge to force and retain tray against damper stop rail.

Remove the buckskin from the underside of the tray, screw the guide into
position centered over the pitman hole.  Use the wedge to force up the tray for
drilling.  Remove the pitman felt and use a 5/8" Forestner bit to drill a hole
about 3/8" into the tray.  Remove your guide.

Remove the damper lift lever and center a 5/8" hole over the original pitman
position and drill about 3/8" deep.  Replace all old leather and buckskin with
new except if there is a coil spring hole lined with buckskin.

Calculate the length of the old pitman including buckskin thikness and add the
depth of the holes drill less the thickness of the punchings and cut the pitman
a little longer than all this.

If you are real lucky when you dry fit everything back all you need to do is to
glue the felt onto the new pitman, collect your money and leave.  Ususally it
is not quit this simple.  I usually have to cut two pitmans before I get it
right.

The felt will compact so prepare to have some 5/8" paper puncings handy the
next time you service this piano and place them in the holes to compensate.

I have successfully modified several pianos without removing the damper tray.
I have also successfully mangles two trays requiring me to remove the trays,
rebuild the torn wood and then drill the hole and take the tray back to the
piano.

The only other problem is clearance of the pitman and the side of the hole in
to keybed.  I am careful to center my holes which provides ample room after the
removal of the felt.  Not being fully centered myself occationally I miss the
center or it moves after I have drilled the holes.  In that case a good bastard
rats tail rasp come in handy for making the original round hole not quite so
round.  This beats drilling a 2" hole in the keybed like S&S does.

Lots of luck.  If you don't understand any part of this please write back.

      Newton
      nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu