Ok, This is weird

[Michael Gamble]

Yes, Greg, I have indeed come across this problem. In one the piano was a
write-off it being too old and dodgy to warrant any repair work. I cannot
remember the maker off hand. The other, a Broadwood grand, is
double-over-strung. I, too, found I could remove the stretcher which gave
more clearance for removing the action. I found there was no degradation to
the pin block - it was straight, no curvature. To remove that action I
lifted up the front of the keyframe and managed to negotiate the action out
that way. I have left a notice to that effect on the plate for future
reference. Yet another piano, an "Elysian" 5'6"(Morley, made in Far East)
had a similar problem. This piano was nearly new. I found the let-off
regulation screws binding on the underside of the pin-block - but I managed,
by rocking the action up and down at the front of the keyframe, to extract
it, scrape off a few millimetres from the affected area of the pin-block and
to regulate those let-off screws down without adverse effect. Those screws
were out of adjustment anyway.
Regards from a sunny Saturday morning in the Downs
Michael G.(UK)

-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Newell [mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net] 
Sent: 16 September 2005 23:14
To: Pianotech; MPT
Subject: Ok, This is weird

Listees,
         I've never encountered this before and now I've seen it twice in 
the same week. 2 pianos both from very different manufacturers and from 
different eras coming in to my neck of the woods from 2 entirely different 
climates and regions both have the same problem. I went to each of these 
customers homes and for one reason or another found it necessary to pull 
the action. (Sorry, both are grands). I found that the pin blocks were 
touching the center 2 octave action screws and it was impossible to pull 
the action as we normally due. I was able to pull off the stretcher on one 
of these and found to my surprise that the pin block was intact. No 
delaminations at all which is what I expected to find. Instead I found 
after fishing out one of my most important tools (string) that the plate 
was warped downward in the center by roughly 3/8" or 10 mm pushing the pin 
block into the action.
         If any of you have ever run in to this problem especially in a 
rebuilding capacity, what if anything have you done about it? I know of no 
way to un warp cast iron so I suppose that's out of the question. Is the 
piano scrap now? Is it possible that the warp happened recently and did not 
exist at the time of manufacture?
         FWIW, one of the pianos is a 70yr old (or there abouts) Henry F. 
Miller grand and the other is a 15-20 yr. old Schumann (Samick product). 
The first actually has some potential to be a fine instrument if it weren't 
for the warped plate. The second never was and never will be anything but a 
P.O.S.P.S.O. Were talking an absolute waste of materials here.
         I'd love to hear your thoughts so.... fire away!

regards,
Greg

Greg Newell
Greg's piano Forté
mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net