KIMBALL

[ROGERIO OLIVEIRA DA CUNHA]

Hello Susan and the list. I thanks the attention. Susan now I read the
article on the Journal and this is the solution I will try. I think that may
be a correct action. If the problem remains, I will change the hammer
springs. Thanks. Rogerio Cunha - Rio - IC Member of the Guild
-----Mensagem original-----
De: Susan Kline <skline@proaxis.com>
Para: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Data: Sexta-feira, 2 de Janeiro de 1998 22:59
Assunto: Re: KIMBALL


>Hello, Rogerio
>
>Yes, believe it or not, spinets without bridle straps do exist. They are
>terrible, but they were made. In order to return to the hammer rail, the
>hammer depends entirely on the hammer spring. If the spring is too weak, or
>the center pin is too tight, or if the spring is out of its slot the hammer
>will just sit touching the string.
>
>You are a member of the PTG, so I imagine that you get the Journal. In the
>October, 1997 issue I mentioned this problem in my column, "World Class
>Junk" (and this piano IS world class junk!) I invented a repair for this
>problem, using spring clip bridle straps. You can put on the spring clip
>bridle strap (on the catcher shank) and then glue the vinyl tab to the
>middle of the strap, after wrapping it around the backcheck wire. You can
>even regulate the tightness of the strap by moving the spring clip along
the
>catcher shank, or by choosing where to glue the tab.
>
>There is another similar repair which I've seen on an old, old upright. The
>tab of the bridle strap was glued to the top of the backcheck. I think the
>angles work out better with my method, though.
>
>You could do my repair to the worst notes with the action still in the
>piano, though if you wanted to do all the notes it would be easier with the
>action out of the piano, and back in your shop.
>
>This should keep the hammers off the strings, but if they are still
sluggish
>there may be a humidity problem. Possibly a dampp-chaser might help. You
can
>test this by blowing a hair dryer down at the base of the hammers for a few
>minutes and seeing if the notes repeat better. Also, you can get a little
>more return by strengthening the hammer spring (pulling it upwards and then
>putting it back in the slot.)
>
>Or, you could install bridle wires and straps as you mentioned. However, be
>sure that there is room for the bridle wires in back of the stickers. They
>may have designed the piano with very little room for any bridle wires. You
>would have to use the short spinet bridle wires, of course, and the spring
>clip bridle straps.
>
>Good luck. I hope your customer is a very grateful.
>
>Susan
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 08:17 PM 1/2/98 -0200, you wrote:
>>Hello List. Today I went to solve a problem in a piano that it's owner
said
>me that it was in trouble. I went there and could detect that few notes of
>the piano was good but a great number of them couldn't to function
>correctly. The owner of the piano told me that she lived four years on
Texas
>and that bought the piano in Dallas. When I was inspecting the problem I
was
>very surprised because there are no bridle  wires. I never saw a vertical
>piano without bridle straps! I inspected the wippens and saw that the holes
>to support the bridle wires was empty and clean. I haven't doubt that the
>never was a bride wire there. The model of the piano is one that the action
>is under the keyboard and the function of the wippens is correct; the
>function of the key is correct : if you press a key it pull the sticker,
the
>sticker moves the wippens and when you release the key every parts come to
>the this place but the hammers this is the problem because they go to the
>strings and don't come back to the hammer rail. I think that the better
>thing to do is to install bridle wires and bridle straps but I would like
to
>read some technicians about this problem and I want know if is possible the
>KIMBALL to have made this piano without bridle straps.Rogerio Cunha - Rio
de
>janeiro - IC Member of the PTG
>
>------------------------------------------
>
>Susan Kline
>P.O. Box 1651
>Philomath, OR 97370
>skline@proaxis.com
>
>"Do you think there's any truth to the rumor that everything is really
O.K.?"
> -- Ashleigh Brilliant
>