Broken Hammer Return Springs

[Isaac sur Noos]

For a temporaryu fix, can't a little thin piano string be used and
made to a shape that do the trick ?

I have changes those kind of springs a long time ago, indeed a second
hole to lock them seem the good method.

That is how the butt hammer return springs hold (more usual on
European pianos)

Best Regards.

P.S. A concert tuning is done on a concert piano, usually no P.R,
often not even necessary to do more than polish unissons and check the
few notes that have drifted. Not possible with an instable piano.
focus a lot on tone eveness and color.


------------------------------------
Isaac OLEG
accordeur - reparateur - concert
oleg-i@noos.fr
19 rue Jules Ferry
94400 VITRY sur SEINE
tel: 033 01 47 18 06 98
fax: 33 01 47 18 06 90
mobile: 033 06 60 42 58 77
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> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : pianotech-bounces@ptg.org
> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org]De la
> part de John Ross
> Envoyé : lundi 22 décembre 2003 21:32
> À : Pianotech
> Objet : Re: Broken Hammer Return Springs
>
>
> 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
> > _______________________________________________
> > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
> >
>
>
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