[pianotech] wippen felt advice

[Jeff Deutschle]

Try DAG on the capstans dowels. You know, the black graphite and alcohol stuff.

On Fri, Jun 26, 2009 at 9:43 AM, Tom Sivak<tvaktvak at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Again, lifting the wippen with the finger reveals no resistance or unusual
> friction.  Seems isolated to the wippen pad in contact with the capstan.
>  Many keys in octaves 6/7 (having no dampers) have just as much resistance
> when played by the key as do the ones that do have dampers---and the
> resistance vanishes when lifting the wippen.
>
> --- On Fri, 6/26/09, PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com <PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com>
> wrote:
>
> From: PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com <PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com>
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] wippen felt advice
> To: pianotech at ptg.org
> Date: Friday, June 26, 2009, 2:10 AM
>
> Check damper spring tension.
>
> P
>
> In a message dated 6/25/2009 6:34:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> tvaktvak at sbcglobal.net writes:
>
> List
> The piano is a Steinway upright from the 1870s. It came to me, refinished,
> almost completely rebuilt, and nearly unplayable.  There is a lot of
> friction, especially on some keys.  I suspected verdigris, but the action
> centers were not the problem.  (It is verdigris free, and everything moves
> freely.)
> The problem seems to be the wippen pads.  The hammer moves with no
> appreciable resistance when I lift the wippen with my finger.  Push the key
> down and I have to use undue pressure.   The keys themselves need new
> bushings, move too freely, and are not the problem, either.
> The capstans are smooth and when I run my finger over the top there is no
> stickiness, roughness, or anything would increase friction.  (They are the
> big wooden dowel capstans.)
> The wippen felt pads, though, are heavily dented, even though they were
> replaced in the rebuild.  They are a white felt, they look to be an
> appropriate thickness, but my theory is that the felt was too soft and thus
> the dents are, at least, a part of the problem.
> I want to make sure I don't replace these with a felt that is also too soft.
>  How can one measure and compare the softness of felts?
> Or is there a specific brand/weight/etc. that you have used with success?
> Thanks in advance for any advice you all might have,
> Tom Sivak
> Chicago
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Regards,
Jeff Deutschle

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