Gerald, I just fixed a creak in a nearly new Steinway B. The sound was coming from the action and when I looked up at where the shift pedal lever pushed on the key frame, I could see the wood being crushed by the lever as the pedal was depressed. The fix was to router/chisel an area in the frame and epoxy in a new piece of oak, about 1-1/2" x 2", to present a new, solid surface to the shift lever, followed by planing and sanding to size. Tom Cole Gerald Groot wrote: > > *Hi List,* > > * * > > *First of all, it is NOT a squeak. It is a creaking sound. I've > encountered this on numerous occasions it seems, mostly on Kawai > grand's. This particular piano is a Kawai KG1D Serial 1312231. > Somewhere, in the mid to back of the action, it is creaking when the > soft pedal is released. NOT when it is depressed. On the last piano > that I had do this, I had a hell of a time trying to locate the > problem and in fact, never did find out what the cause was. I even > removed a couple of the dags thinking they were the problem but that > didn't help at all. Something sounds as if it is giving to me, but, > WHAT? * > > * * > > *Here is what I've checked and done today. I tried shoving the action > back, moving it forward, leaning HARD on the keys in the front, hard > in the center, I tried raising and lowering the keyframe more than it > should have been raised and lowered and even bedded the frame. > Nothing I did changed it or even slowed down the creaking. I then > removed the action. * > > * * > > *I cleaned and McLubed the keyed where ever the action encounters > friction. I also Mclubed the soft pedal spring, dags, the pins that > enter into the cheek blocks, and even the bottom of the action itself, > again, where ever something engages something else on the key bed and > moves basically got cleaned and lubricated with McLube. * > > * * > > *I checked to see if there was any sway or give and take type movement > in the back or center of the action and could find just a wee bit > where the back of the action engages the dags in the area where it > appears to be a separate piece of wood glued in each place where the > dag is. I could move it here but, I had to place quite a bit of > pressure on those areas to get it to move. I was thinking, perhaps, > in that area, it may be moving just enough to cause a creaking sound > but, I'm not sure if this is the problem. If so, what's the solution? * > > * * > > *I've tightened all of the screws in the bottom of the action thinking > maybe something was giving. They were loose but it didn't help one > bit. Nothing did. * > > * * > > *What it sounds like to me, is like something in the action itself is > giving back there. Of course, you can't see a damn thing so that > doesn't help at all. It appears to be coming from the mid tenor area. * > > * * > > *Here's my theory from what I've checked. Tell me if you think I'm > wrong. The only thing left that I can think of, is maybe where the > soft pedal engages the bottom of the action itself, that in that > little area or in the leather itself, something is either moving or > possibly giving or worn? Although, the leather doesn't look or feel > bad there and I cannot feel any movement in that area either. I > wonder if gluing in a piece of felt in there might help? * > > * * > > *Any other suggestions as what may be causing this? I'm ready to > throw the action across the room right about now. * > > * * > > *Thanks in advance!* > > * * > > *Jer Groot RPT* > > * * > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Jerry.5 > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > avast! Antivirus <http://www.avast.com>: Outbound message clean. > > Virus Database (VPS): 090831-0, 08/31/2009 > Tested on: 9/1/2009 3:50:39 PM > avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2009 ALWIL Software. > >
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC