Patrick asked: "Does anyone have an efficient method for adjusting the dampers on a birdcage? I have replaced the felts along with the restringing. Happy Black Friday!" Patrick, First of all, let's get a new habit, (if possible<G>),..they are called Overdamper Pianos. K?<G> Secondly, There's nothing in "BlackFriday" to be happy about, imo! Now, to the business at hand: Because the lever wire has two bends in it, you need to do two bends when adjusting them. Be aware of interferrance with the hammers. The felt block should be as close to the strike point, w/o rubbing on the top of the hammers. A right angle damper wire bending tool is best for the rough in/out of the head/damper felt. You should strive for the same as with standard dampers. They should start to lift at half stroke. Oh, btw, make sure that the action cams are tight and the middle damper rail support bolt is solidly fastened, before attempting to make any adjustments. That rail is very flexible and needs to be anchored during all adjustments and regulation. Unfortunately, most techs think that the wire is how to make the adjustments. It is ONLY for fine adjustment!!! Also, make sure that the holes in the wippen lift are properly bushed and size, (kinda like grand damper guide rails). Hopefully, you copied the measurements and types of felt in the original. If you went to the dumb side and replaced with wedge type felt, you are in deep DODO! Remove that stuff and replace with the proper end-grain felt, etc. (available from Fletcher -Newman in England! DO NOT TRY TO MAKE THE DAMPERS DAMP LIKE A MODERN PIANO!!! It's not how they are designed nor is it possible. GAAMHIK! (<G>) The original design was to mimic the "Ancient" instruments sound, (my terminology), only louder and better playability. Hope that helps. If you need more explicit direction, call me, as my fingers are alread tired.<G> Best, Joe Joe Garrett, R.P.T. Captain of the Tool Police Squares R I
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