[CAUT] steinway upright regluation problem

Fred Sturm fssturm at unm.edu
Sat Sep 25 11:43:04 MDT 2010


On Sep 25, 2010, at 11:28 AM, Edward Sambell wrote:

> The reason is that the keys are too front heavy, or, as in a piano  
> made here in Canada, the capstans have been installed too far forward.


Hi Ted,
	I think you have analyzed it well, and it is a common problem. It is  
exacerbated by wippen cushion dimpling and friction between the  
cushion and the capstan, which should be addressed first. It can  
sometimes be alleviated by increasing jack spring tension, which will  
mean the jack is pushing against the butt leather and assisting the  
reset a little more. But I usually just add lead to the backs of the  
keys, as the most efficient way to solve the problem. It usually only  
takes a single smallish lead fairly close to the capstan, and when  
there are only a few offenders, I sometimes have just glued it on top  
of the key. I have a Wurlitzer console player (1960s-70s Aeolian  
mechanism) with that same problem, and so getting the keys out is a  
major operation. Hence, I have glued maybe 15 - 20 leads to the tops  
of keys, with no problems over a period of a few years. A fairly large  
amount of titebond so it forms a collar, and they stay fine. Another  
option is jiffy leads, which can be cut in two and screwed on (a whole  
jiffy lead is a lot of overkill).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
fssturm at unm.edu





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