Broken Hammer Return Springs

[John Ross]

Hi Andrew,
The only answer is to replace all the springs.
Make sure that you remove the felt that is alongside the coil, if there is
one present. There was a problem a while back, with badly processed felt
being responsible for corrosion and subsequent breaking of springs.
The springs go through the wood, and are usually pressed in a slot, and
glued. Then a felt strip is glued over the top.
I have found that after removing the old springs and cleaning out the slot,
it is best  to drill another hole and feed the end of the spring back
through, and just pull it tight. Making sure to have a piece of welding rod
fitted through the coil, to protect it from being deformed, and also to keep
the coils in position.
I hope I haven't forgotten anything, if I have I am sure some other list
member will jump in.
Regards,
John M. Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
jrpiano@win.eastlink.ca
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <anrebe@zianet.com>
To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 12:34 PM
Subject: Broken Hammer Return Springs


> I've had the, um, "pleasure"...ahem, of tuning an old Whitney spinet in
> Nuevo Laredo that was 128 cents flat at A4.  Winter being the
> un-air-conditioned season of the year there was enough pin tension to hold
a
> tune, barely.  Three passes did it, I do check the piano's tune in
different
> octaves before leaving so those one pass jobs people talk about don't work
> for me.  (BTW, what is the difference between a "Concert Tuning" and a
> regular tuning?)
> During the tuning I noticed several hammers that weren't always returning.
> Investigation revealed no apparent tension problems.  A closer look
revealed
> that the hammer return spring was a little cockeyed.  H'mm that's easy,
just
> reach in there with my handy-dandy damper spring regulator and move back
> into position and maybe "regulate" a little.  Here's where the "pleasure"
> enters in.  It broke off with the least bump and so did its neighbor.
> Further curious probing resulted in two more missing return springs at
which
> point I decided to live and let live.
> I had come to tune a piano after much desparate pleading and had decided
not
> to porter all my tools across the border.  (That's a "grey" area that
could
> place tools at risk.)
> The pianer had a drop action so removing it was out of the time equation.
I
> had a few repair hammer springs in my tuning box so I improvised scewing
> them to the top of the spring rail.  Doesn't work well...  Three down and
> one to go.  The blinken screw broke off.  I'm flush out of the right size
of
> screws and at 6 hours my time on that side of the border was up.
> A quick explanation to the customer that I had come equipped to tune and
> that action repairs would have to wait for the next technician.  This was
> followed by an admonition to get the piano tuned again in two months at
the
> most.  I wasn't going to check tune again before stepping out the door but
I
> had a 60 cent pitch raise on a five-year-old Yamaha grand go sour into
> another pitch raise in just three months, so 128 cents...
> They said, "Oh, no, we will wait till you return again."  And I was hoping
> not to see this little monster again.  I give them the bill and then learn
> why they couldn't get a technician to come see them from Monterray
(distance
> is a problem too).  They had promised to be generous when trying to get me
> to come.  When I wouldn't budge they suggested that I should give them a
> discount next time.
> I haven't decided that there will be a next time.  Assuming there is I
would
> like to know a little more about replacing hammer return springs.  Having
a
> drop action I'd plan on bringing two rubber bands and a length of string
to
> contain the drop rods.  Removal and the eventuall reinstall should not be
> too problematic that way.  I'm presuming that the spring rail will be
> screwed onto the action.  Assuming its removal, how are the original
springs
> held?  Would this be a temperature sensitive glue, say hold a soldering
iron
> to the spring remnant and then pull it out?  How would you advise gluing
the
> new ones in considering that I won't use hide-glue and the piano is old
> enough that this will be the last time this is addressed?  Are repair
> springs the better route to take?  I will plan on bring a drill to tap
these
> first, that rail is hardwood!
>
> Andrew Anderson
> Las Cruces, New Mexico
>
> Presently Annoyed in Old Mexico
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