Mark- This latest update in your saga jarred loose a memory nugget: I worked on an older Yamaha (I think) that had the sound you described, and it went away when I put a couple drops of Protek CLP on the loop/spring contact. If memory serves, I was in process of disengaging each spring, lubing the tang contact & replacing (this in the customer's home with the action in my lap) when I got fed up and tried just lubing the loop/spring. Quick and easy. Haven't been back, or heard from the customer since. FWIW Lawrence Lawrence Becker, RPT Piano Technician College-Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati -----Original Message----- From: Mark Cramer [mailto:Cramer@BrandonU.CA] Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 11:16 PM To: CAUT Subject: RE: Yama-help, s.v.p.! With Terry Beckingham along for a second set of eyes and ears, I just had another look at the G-2 action. No "ticking." Typical!! :>( I put the action on the bench anyhow and checked the following: balance rail holes; tight? yes; lifting the key from both ends straight up and down, tight, but no squeek, not that I discount the possibility, and certainly will clean and teflon these later. removed a wippen/ checked the loop/spring contact: yes the loop is blackened, typical of contact with brass. The spring slips very smoothly along the cord, though again, I will not discount the possibility. removed the rep. lever, checked all glue joints, pinning etc; all okay, however I don't know that the wippen I selected ever "ticked" anyhow. (!?) I actually WAS able to duplicate the "ticking" sound (to Terry and I's best recollection anyways) by disengaging the tang (short arm of the spring) from it's slot right next to the coil, then applying pressure to the long arm sufficient for it to "pop" back in; "tick!" Though I can't be conclusive here either. In order for the 'tang' (everyone happy with this term?) to slip in and out of it's slot, the rep. spring coil would have to be so weak it would be non-functional. The hook wouldn't reach the loop. No, there was no corrosion in the spring slot, not one bit. I could also produce a "ticking" sound by flicking the "un-looped" spring hook against the rep. lever, as though the loop or hook were too long. As mentioned, I had found this problem in a couple wippens, however the "tick" occurs with the key at rest, or at the beginning of the key-stroke, so it ain't the culprit. One other thought: when swinging "cranky" flange centres (like the ones Wim was talking about), i.e.: old centres that should be loose, but are so dirty, etc. that they're tight, I have heard the odd one make a ticking sound, you can actually feel it tick when you swing it. D'ya know what I mean? I wonder if I may have some "cranky wippen flanges? Climactic change might explain why the ticks "come and go," and if they are sluggish enough not to fall completely to rest i.e.:"rotate past the point of ticking" with the weight of the hammers/shanks off, this might explain the spontaneous "ticking" shortly after I had lowered (not dropped) the hammers /shanks back to rest? Just a theory. thanks for all the suggestions and your interest in my dilemna. I certainly appreciate it! Mark Cramer, Brandon University -----Original Message----- From: Daniel Gurnee [mailto:dgurnee@humboldt1.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 8:30 PM To: Mark Cramer Subject: Re: Yama-help, s.v.p.! Any actin with spring loops may produce clicks because of high static friction higher than dynamic friction especially with very slow movement. It can help to clean the spring hook by waggling the loop on the spring hook and may be cured by applying a very small amount of liquid VJ lube to the contact point. Clean loop and spring hook should be can be a permanent fix but it may not be possible to tell when that cleanness is present. Daniel Gurnee, RPT HSU Tech. Retired 7127 Humboldt Hill Rd. Eureka, CA 95503-8105 707-442-3158 <dgurnee@htan.org> <dgurnee@humboldt1.com>
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