dampers

[jolly roger]

Hi Ed,
          Have you checked the bass end, damper rod hanger and bushing? If
not, your wire bending may be in vain. 
Are the action brackets and keybed nose bolts secure, and in position? In
light of the several moves, I would also check for the keybed security.
I have also seen some funny damper pedal results when the trap work board
has been loose. moving could also have caused a problem down here.
Another possible cause, is the cloth on the damper lever is badly worn. But
some how I would doubt it. 
Finally check damper follow.  You should be able to press the bass strings
towards the plate about 1/8", and the the damper should follow the string.
The damper should start to move at half the hammer travel distance. 

Regards Roger.




At 11:49 AM 2/5/01 -0800, you wrote:
>Calling all Damper experts... lend me your advice.
>
>Tuned a Baldwin studio model; about 15 years old.  It has been moved
>several times.  Not tuned for several years.  Tuned up nicely. But...
>
>got called back because the bass dampers were not damping the sound.
>Several white key were not being damped after playing. All black keys
>seemed to damp except for D#3.   I did some wire bending and got all to
>damp pretty well except for 
>G 1.  This is the lowest bi-chord on this piano.  Could not get it to damp
>at all.  Del Fandrich mentioned at a PTG mtg in Portland that increasing
>the mass of the damper by adding some weight could be a help in damping
>problems.  Should I explore this???
>
>I had hoped (and expected) that the problem would be the adjustment of the
>bass damper pedal.  No such luck.
>
>The bass dampers barely move off of the string with the pedal, and not much
>better with the key.  Movement measures about 1 mm.  The lowest dampers
>move more than the upper Bass dampers.  The uneveness of this concerns me.
>They should all be about the same for that section of the piano.  Obviously
>there is some serious damper adjustment needed.
>
>The middle and upper sections of the piano have no problem.  
>
>And of course it has to be the piano of a friend, and the friend is a music
>teacher. Why couldn't it have been owned by a stranger in a strange land?
>AARRRGGGHHHH.
>
>What say ye???
>
>Ed Carwithen
>John Day, OR
>