[pianotech] Reconditioning - Dealing with excess friction in action centers

[Terry Farrell]

I have used alcohol (denatured)/water treatment on action centers  
numerous times over the years with good results. I use it to restore  
function to an action - not to finely regulate friction.

> 1.  I am pleased with the result I get, but am looking for any  
> efficiencies I can find.  In your
> experience, does the use of the meth/water sizing solution lay a  
> helpful foundation for a more
> consistent end result?

Never really tried it if I was trying to finely regulate friction.

> 2.  Tomorrow I pick up a 1965 Steinway Sheration 4510 upright with  
> very sluggish flanges.
> Am I going to be dealing with anything different here?  When were  
> the "verdigris" years?


I don't know that the verdigris was restricted to any certain years -  
although it's more common on older pianos. And it wasn't restricted to  
Steinway - although most common on old Steinways. Just pick out a  
couple real slow centers and look at them. If they are green, you have  
verdigris. Sometimes they even have little green trees growing out  
from the center. Sometimes you really need to remove the center pin to  
see the green goo.

Terry Farrell

On Jun 20, 2010, at 11:07 PM, Floyd Gadd wrote:

> A number of the mid-sized pianos I service, built during the '60s  
> and '70s, have excess
> friction in the pinning of the hammer flanges.  It has been  
> suggested to me in the past that
> it's a good idea to treat them with a methanol/water mix and dry  
> them over a heat source
> before giving attention to individual flanges.  I've been using 85%  
> methanol/15% water, and
> inverting the partly disassembled action over a damppchaser  
> dehumidifier bar.  I've also read
> that treatment the methanol/water mixture increases the capacity of  
> the bushing cloth to respond
> well to mechanical sizing strategies--in my case, the Manino flange  
> bushing broach approach.
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1.  I am pleased with the result I get, but am looking for any  
> efficiencies I can find.  In your
> experience, does the use of the meth/water sizing solution lay a  
> helpful foundation for a more
> consistent end result?
>
> 2.  Tomorrow I pick up a 1965 Steinway Sheration 4510 upright with  
> very sluggish flanges.
> Am I going to be dealing with anything different here?  When were  
> the "verdigris" years?
>
> Thanks for any feedback you might give!
>
> Floyd Gadd
> Manitoba Chapter

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