My almost universal answer to the teflon action question is this: If the owner wants the action improved in any way, then the first step should be to replace any teflon-bushed parts with good quality new parts. It just isn't worth putting labor cost into 30-year-old teflon parts. I'm curious about the flange screw - pinblock interference. How close are the drop screws? Do you think the problem is screw head size, or flange thickness? Or is it possible that this action is not the original? You're lucky a new pinblock is required - you can make room for the action by using a slightly thinner block. Mike Michael Magness wrote: > Hello all, > Firstly sorry for the cross posting but I need as broad of a knowledge > base as possible on this one. Looking for advice, theories, suggestions. > > I recently acquired a new customer, she relocated to this area from > somewhere in New York state. She acquired this piano "rebuilt and/or > restrung" from a music store for the princely sum of $5000 in 1977. > She was told it had been acquired from a monastery that had been > closed, that it had been rebuilt and/or restrung, she liked the tone > and bought it. > > She had a regular tech in New York who cared for it and kept > it reasonable condition for her. > When she moved here it had not been tuned for a couple of years due to > the move, the new(used)home not being ready and other factors. > My first contact was in October when I was to clean and tune it, I > found the action virtually impossible to remove, the very large round > headed screws on the hammer flanges were catching and digging into the > underside of the pinblock. Since we were still well into the high > humidity season I suggested the cleaning wait until the winter tuning > and just tuned it at that appointment. I found it to be 25 to 30c flat > through the bass and tenor and a full half tone flat in the upper > treble. I brought this to her attention and suggested a re-tune as > soon as the heating season was in full swing for a few weeks. > We made the 2nd appointment for the second week in December, to clean, > tune and fix the squeaky pedal that had developed. The morning of the > appointment she called to suggest I bring whatever might be needed for > a loose tuning pin as one unison had gone significantly out of tune > overnight. > I arrived, tried tuning the offending string and watched my hammer > rotate back. The coil was already very close to the plate so I > unhooked the string backed out the pin and sized it preparing to go > oversize, it was a #6. Up to this point I had not paid much attention > to the pin size as it had not been an issue, now looking at the rest > of the pins, I could see they were all the same(no.6) size. I had > managed to remove the action by levering the action rail down slightly > to drag it under the pin block then once it was under, just scratching > it's way out. > Oh and yes for those who will ask, I did try raising the glides to see > if that would help, it didn't > I had also noticed something odd about the action at a glance, the > "felt" around the bushings wasn't red, it was white. When I looked > closer I saw they were all Teflon bushings, the entire whippen and the > hammer flanges are Teflon bushings. > > Someone, on purpose, replaced all of the original whippens and flanges > with new ones with Teflon bushings. Perhaps it had vertigris and this > was a cheap way of eliminating it for a dealer concerned with > salability AND not having it come back to bite him on the behind a few > years later? > > It has an average gram/touch weight of 60 to 62gms. It needs > regulation but shouldn't the lower friction of the Teflon bushings > make for a lighter touch? I have NO experience with teflon bushings > advice please, remember this action WASN'T designed for them> > > The hammers don't appear to be anything extraordinary, they look like > stock hammers from Apsco or Schaff from the 70's. > > Today I CA'd the bass and lower tenor as a temporary way of tuning it > until she can afford to restring it, with a new block, I believe it is > the original block in it now. > The question she asked, to which I wasn't positive of the answer was, > do we need to replace the whippens and hammershanks/flanges due to the > Teflon? > > My feeling is yes, for historical accuracy and value, my hunch is it > is worth far less with the action parts it now has. Not to mention the > poor grade hammers and being in need of a re-string. > If I am wrong about any of this please tell me. > > Flamesuit firmly zipped in place! > (grin) > > Mike > > I intend to live forever. So far, so good. > Steven Wright > > > Michael Magness > Magness Piano Service > 608-786-4404 > www.IFixPianos.com <http://www.IFixPianos.com> > email mike at ifixpianos.com <mailto:mike at ifixpianos.com>
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