[pianotech] Broken Grand dampers

[Fenton Murray]

Bob,
Put your cheek blocks in, to locate the action fore and aft.
Fenton
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bob Tate 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 7:36 AM
  Subject: [pianotech] Broken Grand dampers


        Hi people,

        I've had to be away because of a bad back--still hurts like crazy.
        _______________

        I believe a major problem may have just happened with my Estonia 190.  

        I've been working on getting the una corda pedal to be just as I want it, or rather make certain the hammers hit the strings in just the right place when it's depressed.   (i.e., not how depressed I feel right now)

        Here's what happened: 

        this morning, I made a minor change to a hammer flange position. I put the action back in the piano. 

        When I pressed the una corda and let it return, the alignment looked as I wanted it, the damper barely missed the left string at full una corda.  The shift works properly.

        Next, I pushed down the damper pedal. 

        All the dampers lifted as expected, however, when the pedal was released, the entire set of dampers hung, just above their "at rest" position.

        I checked the action to make certain it was properly seated on the key bed  and in the piano as far back as it could go. It is.

        I tried the damper pedal again.

        This time, on the damper return, I heard a "creeeek" or rather, "creekcraaack." And the dampers still hung slightly above their at rest position.

        Not liking that "crack" sound; with the damper pedal not depressed,  I lifted and let drop, each damper head,  manually.

        All worked as expected, except E2 (the last damper before the end of the bass bridge and before the bass/treble strut).
        Lifting it, I felt a little, loose up/down and side to side, wobble.
        Letting it drop, maked an audible "click," then, "thud" as it returned to where it started. 
        The thud sounded like wood on wood.

        I pulled the action. Looked at and wiggled the damper flanges and wires, checked for loose screws, and saw/felt nothing wrong.

        With the action still out, I checked the sostenuto, which as had the dampers, been working perfectly.

        The sostenuto is a complete mess: dampers lift haphazardly or not at all.  (The tabs all look in-line.)

        Not having much grand damper repair experience, I returned the action and have stopped.

        I've called for reinforcements. I'm afraid this may be a major problem: a broken damper rail flange or even rail itself, broken damper return spring?

        Any ideas of what I might be able to check, without taking apart the damper mechanism (and probably making matters worse)?  
        --I know of nothing more I can do or will do, lest you have a suggestion. 

        what we know is:  
        the dampers hang barely above the strings when "at rest," 
        the manual lifting of E2 (last damper before the bass strut) makes an audible "click" and then, wood-on-wood "thud" when allowed to drop to its rest position, 
        the sostenuto is a total mess,
        the shift works okay.

        I won't touch it, unless it's something easy to check; but, I'd like to have ideas as to what it might be.

        Thanks,
        Bob T

        ______________________________________________________________________
        A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. 

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