damper seating

[SGrossner@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-04-17 12:48:52 EDT, Horace writes:

<< Renner used to make a pair of damper pliers, which are used heated, to
 "form" tri- and bichords as needed.  Mine paid for themselves with the
 first job.>>

Q: Do you squeeze the felt before or after installing? If after, how do you
get it to seat the same way it did in the piano previously? My method has
been to place the trichord on the string, then the block over it and tighten
the block for the best alignment to the string and with the underlever at the
jig height. Then I remove the dampers, glue and replace. Once I take them out
for treatment of one sort or another, usually the head wont lift off the
string straight up and down as previous. What do you think of this method?
Gluing a block on the rear would enable me to get the alignement and height
that I want, and then the trichord could slide on from the front glued. That
would save quite a bit of effort. What do think of these methods of mine?

 <<Someone suggested  (lightly) sanding the damper blocks - works for me.>>

Q: Sand where the damper glues? That would ensure an even surface. That was
done.

 <<In terms of configuration, my tendency is to replicate what comes off the
 piano, unless it is
 obviously not working and/or poorly thought out.  Most instruments _seem_
 to need a combination of splits and blocks for proper damping.>>

Q: I am leaning toward using comb. of splits and blocks for the trichords,
but am unsure as to how to get them both to sit at the same height. Schaff
has a set of cut treble damper felt for grands that would appear to be good
blocks.

 If I understand your method correctly, there may be room for just enough
 movement of the head/felt to contribute to these problems.

 <<In terms of felt, I have used Yamaha CFIII felt for some years now.  It
 works with a minimum amount of fuss and bother. >>

Q: Sounds good. Where do I get it? Haven't seen it in supply catalogs named
as such. I found that ironically, the upright trichords work best when
separated from their wood backing. Could this be because the are slope more
steeply? Maybe I should get away from unbacked felt altogether-maybe they are
not as stiff.

Thanks alot for input. Sam Grossner Chicago.