Help with squeaky pedals

[Paul Chick (Earthlink)]

Hi, Mark.  No you are not incompentent.  Every one in the business gets to
chase a few noises from time to time.  What I do with squeaks in pedals is
to eliminate as much mechanism as possible.  This means crawling under a
grand, finding the little dowel that goes up through the key bed to lift the
damper tray.  I put a flat screwdriver blade between the dowel and lifter
and move the dowel up and down.  If is squeaks, remove the dowel from the
bottom if it's convenient, put some lubrication on the ends, install it and
try again.  If it still squeaks, the noise coming from the damper tray, or
possibly damper lever(s).  If it didn't squeak, push up on the lifter to
check its bearings.  No squeak, move to the next "link" and move the
trapwork with it.  Keep going until you are down to the pedal itself.  New
bushings won't always stop the squeak.  Put some lubrication on the new
bushings and make sure there is no corrosion rubbing on moving.  I recommend
you find a bottle of Alene's Tacky Glue.  It comes in a variety of mixes.  I
buy the one in the brownish bottle.  It's thick, no runs, and does not soak
into anything.  Super glue can find it's way through porous material and
make both sides hard.enough to cause a squeak.  I like to use a silicone
stick of lube.  It looks like candle wax in a round tube. It stays where I
put it.  I think it's called "panf" or something similar.  It won't dry out
or creep.  

 

Any bushings you find warn should be replaced.  This can kill a squeak and
it gets the parts in alignment.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Let me know.

 

Paul C

 

  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Mark's Piano Service
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 10:20 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: Help with squeaky pedals

 

Help please!

You may remember a few weeks ago when I asked for any help replacing the
rubber grommets at the base of the pedals on a Horugel Grand.

I was given some very good advice as to how to do this. The squeak (caused
by the deteriorate rubber grommets) disappeared when I replaced them with
buckskin.

The pastors wife was happy with those results for a couple weeks and then
the squeak returned. 

I spoke with her tonight and scheduled a service call for this Sat. 7-8-06

I am at a loss on this one.

The squeak comes and goes. On more than one occasion when she called me to
have this fixed, I arrived at the church only to find that there was no
squeak. 

As I do not doubt a clients word (my goal is to satisfy all clients) I am
extremely puzzled regarding this one.

When I was there last, I went ahead and  replaced some of the other "soon to
wear out" pieces of buckskin in the trap workings. 

I glued them in place with CA glue. (buckskin to wood). Did I use the wrong
glue perhaps?

I certainly can't charge for this as the problem is not being resolved. I am
looking incompetent!

Can you help???

Any tips/suggestions welcome

Thanks in advance

 

Mark

 

 

 

Mark D. Montbriand

 

Mark's Piano Service
10576 Webster Road
Freeland, MI  48623
989-695-2518
989-205-2761
mps at usol.com

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