If the problem is all with the felt, and the screws are not moving, then t would not be necessary, would it, to replace the screws; just remove he cloth and glue action cloth to the wippen heels/feet (no stickers). though there may be an issue with the flat heads of the screws as opposed o the gently domed heads of new capstan screws). It is certainly possible that in this particular room there is some kind f cyclical change in humidity taking place. But the room never feels amp. David In regards to the screw vs the capstan. With the cloth covering the screw, there is no movement between the top of the screw and the bottom of the sticker. If you just put the cloth on the bottom of the sticker, it creates friction between the cloth and the screw. The screw has a slot in it, which, over time, will wear away the cloth. You won't have that with a smooth surface of a capstan screw. In regards to the humidity change. Is the room in which the piano sits above, or near, a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room? The added humidity form those rooms can have a huge effect on the piano. Wim -----Original Message----- From: david <david at piano.plus.com> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Sun, Dec 4, 2011 10:52 am Subject: Re: [pianotech] Wandering Capstan Screws Thanks for those suggestions, Joe and Wim. Joe, I know the system is archaic - I tune lots of archaic pianos! All in his area, in the same climate, lots of them have this system, and this is he only one that moves in this manner. Wim, the suggestion about the cloth is very interesting. Could it really et THAT much thicker and thinner Maybe. It occurs to me that I could test whether the screws move, by marking a ot on the screw head aligned with one on the keystick. If the dots get ut of alignment, then the screws are moving. Most of the other pianos I tune with this sytem, have action cloth over he screws. I wonder if that is less susceptible to swelling. The cloth in his piano seems to be some kind of felt material. If the problem is all with the felt, and the screws are not moving, then t would not be necessary, would it, to replace the screws; just remove he cloth and glue action cloth to the wippen heels/feet (no stickers). though there may be an issue with the flat heads of the screws as opposed o the gently domed heads of new capstan screws). It is certainly possible that in this particular room there is some kind f cyclical change in humidity taking place. But the room never feels amp. Thanks for these thought-provoking suggestions folks, you are making me hink it through! Best regards, David ww.davidboyce.co.uk >David, This system is archaic. And, was long since abandoned for good reason. There are too many different expansion ratios involved. My solution would be to install standard capstan screws and put action cloth on the stickers bottoms. Once, settled, I suspect the problem will go away. Also, I'd take a long, hard look at the temperature/humidity situation in the piano's area. (Leave a recording Temperatur/Humidity gauge inside the piano for 6 months.) I suspect a combination of bad things, all working together to make your life miserable.<G> Regards, Joe >David >The problem is not the screw but the cloth on top of the screw. As thick as it is, and without it being glued to a surface, every time the umidty >changes, the thickness of the cloth changes. >I would cut the cloth off the key, and glue a small piece on the bottom of the sticker. Then replace the screws with standard capstan screws. >Wim -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20111204/46862362/attachment.htm>
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