Thank you, Dave. Why not lifting the springs out of the groove? The whole procedure takes about 15 minutes and one can apply the correct dose sparingly.
BTW, I still don´t know what was meant by monkey that Paul mentioned.
Gregor
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 10:17:26 -0400
From: piannaman at aol.com
Subject: Re: [pianotech] lubricating damper springs?
Gregor,
Sorry about jumping in so late on the topic, but I haven't perused the list for awhile.
If you have figured out your squeak/creak has nothing to do with the rod, grommets, pedal lever pivots, hinges or screw attachments, I suspect it's coming from the damper lever springs. I diagnose this problem by pulling the damper head back toward me off the string with my finger to see if it makes that annoying creaking. It doesn't take much to cause an aggravating noise while pedaling if they're all doing it.
I do the same as with rep springs that are making noise: dip my spring tool into Protek MPL 1 (a gel type lubricant available at supply houses), trying to get a small amount into the groove,. I reach in with it and slide it as straight up the lever spring as possible, and over the top. This almost always takes care if this particular problem
Tips
Try to get good lighting. Seeing what you're doing is crucial here.
Don't use too much lubricant. It can be messy, though MPL1 isn't hazardous material....
Depressing the pedal helps get an arc in the spring that allows for easier access to the base of the spring.
Try not to lift the spring out of the groove.
Hope this helps a little,
Dave Stahl, RPT
Dave Stahl Piano Service
dstahlpiano at sbcglobal.net
dstahlpiano.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Gregor _ <karlkaputt at hotmail.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Wed, 13 May 2009 1:47 am
Subject: Re: [pianotech] lubricating damper springs?
Thank you for all your answers.
The felts of the dampers levers are really clean. Also the rod has no gunk and looks clean too. The damper springs as well. It´s a Renner action from 1986 and the whole piano is well-kept and of high quality. The sounds have nothing to do with the pedal or the grommet because the action was outside of the piano. I can´t isolate the source of the sound. Maybe the springs, maybe the rod-felt-joint.
One thing I didn´t think about are the action brackets. Maybe they are loose. Unfortunately the piano is at a customers home, not in my workshop, so I can´t check it right now.
Paul, what do you mean by monkey? There was no monkey, but the customer has a cat :-)
Gregor
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Date: Tue, 12 May 2009 15:40:21 -0400
From: wimblees at aol
.com
Subject: Re: [pianotech] lubricating damper springs?
Gregor
If the spring groove has graphite, then you should only use more graphite. Putting fat in the groove will attract dust, which will gum up, and cause sluggishness in the spring.
The other cause of the noise could be where the rod pushes the levers. Remove a damper lever, and if you see that the felt is black and corroded, you will need to brush off the black stuff, or turn the felt strip around. (remove it, and put the bottom where the top was). Just polishing the rod will not be enough to solve the squeaking problem.
In some cases, the felt will be worn through, and the rod is actually rubbing against the wood of the lever. In that case you'll need to replace the felt, or if you don't have any to replace, turn it around.
Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Mililani, Oahu, HI
808-349-2943
Author of:
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Gregor _ <karlkaputt at hotmail.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Tue, 12 May 2009 2:49 am
Subject: [pianotech] lubricating damper springs?
#AOLMsgPart_2_8e8d9b14-aafc-4dc6-83d8-3c4e52f121be .ExternalClass #EC_AOLMsgPart_2_7058aaf3-d8b6-40f1-8ea3-6ab89fec73c9 .EC_hmmessage P{padding:0px;}#AOLMsgPart_2_8e8d9b14-aafc-4dc6-83d8-3c4e52f121be .ExternalClass #EC_AOLMsgPart_2_7058aaf3-d8b6-40f1-8ea3-6ab89fec73c9 body.EC_hmmessage{font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;}
List,
I have a problem with annoying sounds when depressing the right ped
al of an upright very slowly. It turned out that it comes from the dampers or the rod that lifts the dampers. Usualy I fix it with lubricating the springs and the rod and the hinge-joints of the rod. But in this case it did not help. The spings are not embedded in felt or leather but in graphitated wood. I used stag fat for the dampers and the rod, which usualy helps allways (for the hinge-joints I used Protec CLP). Was that a mistake instead of using graphit for the spring embedding? I mean, if new graphit were the only way to solve such a problem, then a future application of graphit could be hindered by the fat on the springs. But I am not shure about that.
Any ideas about the source of these sounds and the solution of that problem? It´s an Ibach C upright from 1986 with a Renner action. It seems that the bass dampers are the main culprits.
Gregor
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