old old old steinway parts

[Jon Page]

At 08:56 PM 01/31/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>  I have a customer with a Steinway grand built before 1900. A player system
>has been installed. Yes with the old whippens, don't ask.
>These would be pre capstan whippens with the arm that enters a(rocker arm?)
>type
>capstan on the key sometimes used on old uprights.
>The customer wishes to keep this part of the piano genuine.
>steinway factory is no help. Does anyone no where i can obtain as many as
>possible?
>I have returned to this forum after 3 years without a computer. I hope i
>addressed this problem correctly and sppellded every wrd correctly
>
>                                  ed ohio

Ed,
I hope there is not vertigris present.

You will be hard pressed to find replacement wippens for this. I would 
reinforce all action
glue joints with CA glue or reglue with hot hide glue. This will brace the 
old joints for the
rigors of the machine's pummelling.  Remove the jacks before gluing joints 
(or replace
jacks altogether and install jack regulating spoons).

Replace the repetition springs to insure against metal fatigue and repin 
everything:
jacks, repetition levers and wippen flanges.  Replace the repetition lever 
upstop leather
while you have them apart as well as the regulating punchings. Let off 
punchings too.
Rebush if they are really bad or if you have the ambition.

If the joints are firm, apply accelerator and then some thin CA to 
reinforce the joint. The
reason to first let the accelerator soak in first is so that the glue does 
not wick away from
the joint. If they are loose, you have the option of gluing them back with 
hot hide glue; this
would be a preferred method since that is what you should be using to glue 
the regulating
punchings and upstop cushions anyway.

Another option you could investigate is to modify a new wippen for the 
sticker installation.
This would entail cutting off the heel, routing a slot and drilling a hole 
for the center pin.
If there is vertigris, this may be your only option while still maintaining 
'originality'.

Rocker arm actions are more of a botheration to work on than they are 
difficult. From the
ones I have encountered, I surmised that they offer a lower friction by not 
having the
wippen cushion to capstan contact bearing point.

Good Luck,

Jon Page,   piano technician
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
mailto:jonpage@mediaone.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~