Help with squeaky pedals

[Paul Chick (Earthlink)]

Hi, Mark.

I started a reply to you on this and lost it.  I hope I'm not too late.

When chasing a squeak, you want to eliminate as many moving parts as you
can.  For example:  crawl under the piano with a flat blade screwdriver.
Insert it between the dowel that passes through the key bed, and the lifter.
Move the dowel up and down to check for noise.  Noise.pull the action, lift
the damper tray by hand.if no noise, reach under the piano and push up on
the lifter.  Noise would indicate the dowel needs lubrication.  If the tray
squeaks, you may have noisy damper lifters or dampers squeaking through the
guide rail.

If all is quiet from the lifter to the damper tray, operate the trapwork
with the part that moves the lifter; then move onto the next part, all the
way down to the pedals.  Remember.  Add one part at a time to the testing.
Operate the trapwork a few times with the pedal to "warm" it up, then, move
it slowly.  If the noise comes back go through the above steps.  

 

CA glue is good stuff, but it migrates through porous material i.e. felt,
cloth, leather, and sometimes wood.  I use Aleen's Tacky Glue.  It's sold in
craft and hobby stores.  I use the brown bottle.I think it's marked
"Original Tacky Glue."  It's very thick; does not migrate; sticks to
dissimilar parts.  I use tape to hold parts together until it sets.

 

I found a lube that is silicone in a heavy base that looks like candle wax.
Look for it in the hardware dept.  I think its called Panpf or something
like that.  The package will tell you what kind of lubricant it is.  It
works wonders on noisy trapwork, springs, etc.

 

Old parts of leather or felt, get hard with use and can glaze over from
friction.  If it's convenient, replace these badly worn items and add some
lubricant.

 

Lastly, don't let it intimidate you.  You can refer to me as a helper that's
been around pianos and their noises for over 30 years that sometimes can't
find the fault right away.  Be friendly and honest.  Don't be afraid to say
you're stumped for the moment.  Sometimes getting away from the problem is a
good way to find a solution.

 

Let me know how it goes.

 

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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