Repetition Spring Adjustment

[bases-loaded@juno.com]

On Sun, 21 Jul 2002 21:55:09 -0700 Patrick C Poulson
<pcpoulso@pacbell.net> writes:
> Hello all: I have the action from a 1927 Story and Clark grand in the 
> shop,
> with peculiar repetition springs.  They loop up out of the jack 
> window,
> curve backwards, and hook onto a string loop that comes out of the 
> top of
> the wippen.  Has anyone worked on such an animal before, and if so, 
> is there
> a way to adjust the spring tension short of disengaging it from the 
> loop,
> bending it, and then replacing it? I am leery about doing it that 
> way,
> because the loops are cotton and some of them have snapped already. 
> I fear
> that I may have to just break down and replace them all.  Help 
> Mister
> Wizard!
> Patrick Poulson, RPT

Hi Patrick -

I'm not Mr. Wizard (sorry!) but I had the same configuration in an early
1900's Weber grand a couple years back.  I could think of no way to
adjust the tension on the rep spring without removing it from the back
loop.  Besides, if some have already snapped, and you are going to
increase the tension on the rep springs, it raises the likelihood that
more are to follow suit.  I did replace all of the silk loops in the
Weber, in both locations, and consider it having been time well spent. 
Mandatory, really.

A problem, as I recall, that I had with that system was that in several
places I had trouble with the underside of the shank clicking on the top
of the rep spring on rebound.  Most aggravating, but certainly able to be
worked around.

Mark Potter
bases-loaded@juno.com