[pianotech] Evestaff Minipiano action?

[david at piano.plus.com]

A work colleague asked me to tune his piano and check it out as some
problems had developed with the action.  It's a 1969 Evestaff Minipiano.

As soon as I played it I found out what he meant - lots of hammers
blocking, and most notes having a terrible "click" sound.  It wasn't like
that at all the last time I tuned it a couple of years ago.

The reason for both these phenomena quicky became apparent: A terrible
infestation of clothes moths, the larvae of which had eaten all the setoff
button felt (causing the blocking, no setoff) and all the hammer butt
notch felt (jack top clicking against wood).

Besides this, many other felt parts have been munched.

I suggested that the best idea would be to phone his insurance  company,
as in my opinion the piano action was beyond economical repair (in terms
of the value of the piano).

The insurance company have said that the damage is NOT covered. (Policy
doesn't cover vermin).

My colleague is therefore back to square one. Either buy another piano out
of his own pocket, or see about replacing much of the felt in the action.
The hammers, though all nibbled all over the top, actually still sound OK.

My colleague has good technical skills, and would be able to do  some of
the work himself if I supplied the materials and showed him how to
proceed.  So that is one possible option.

Another option, would be to obtain and fit another action. Does anyone in
the UK have a spare Kaster-Wellau action from an Evestaff minipiano that
they would consider selling??

Best regards,

David Boyce.