There is a method of tightening action centers but use at your own risk. They might come out too tight, or peers might cry "unprofessional". In that case consider it experimental. 1. With a voicing needle poke two to 4 times in the bushing around the pin. This is to compress the felt around the pin. OR 2. With the smallest hole punch, (like what is used in player piano work) "Tamp" the bushing. Press the punch into the bushing so to press it inwards. 3 Since it is better to have a dull punch, the "Moody Bushing Tamper" can easily be made. Pull the pin out of a center pin punch. Enlarge the hole in a drill press to near the size of a #24 center pin. Bevel the edges on a grinder enough to clear the wood. Needless to say for tamping or needling you need to test. This is best done by feel, simply flick the the flange (or jack). The tests given are usually for hammer flanges but of course not all flanges are hammer flanges. But using the swinging tests or the screw drop tests and then feeling the flange afterwards by flicking or between thumb and forefinger you can get a pretty good idea for determining the tightness of all centers. For those who like to keep records of repairs you might want to indicate on the flange which bushing you "tamped". If done by a needle simply poke a small mark in the wood near the bushing. If done by a tamper perhaps a small circle or dot with a pen or pencil near the bushing. That way if you come back and a center is loose , you can see right away if you have doctored this bushing before. ---ric | > | >On Erard grand from the beginning of the century was this system. | > | >Very convenient (individual brass flanges with traditional bushing but | >adjustable screw for tightness) I've never seen that on other makes, | >surely a patented design, but I did not find any precise reference about | >it. | | ERARD PIERRE Patent 8643 24th Sept. 1840 Pianoforte. | | Barrie, | | -- | Barrie Heaton PGP key on request http://www.a440.co.uk/ | AcryliKey Ivory Repair System UK © http://www.acrylikey.co.uk/ | The U.K. Piano Page © http://www.uk-piano.org/ | Home to the UK Piano Industry
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