[pianotech] Squeaking soft "creaking" pedal problem

[Greg Newell]

Gerry,

                Check the tightness of the 2 rails where they connect 

 

Greg Newell

Greg's Piano Forté

www.gregspianoforte.com

216-226-3791 (office)

216-470-8634 (mobile)

 

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Gerald Groot
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2009 3:51 PM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Squeaking soft "creaking" pedal problem

 

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

 

 


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