Hey Gang, I'm about to make a set of damper blocks for a 1914 Steinway V (which will include five of APSCo's tenor blocks which receive the overdampers wires). The round dowels blocks, natch. May I run by y'all what I thnk will be my procedure, so that those of you who have done this before can get me going will all four tires on the asphalt? 1.) find some 3/8" maple dowel (larger gluing surface for more durable bond?) 2.) saw the dowel into a set of what I know will be over-long for each section. (How 'bout taking the old damper lever with block and dampe felt still attached, set a new damper lever with wire bent to match next to it on the action frame in the piano. Now hold the new damper felt on the string and place between it and the wire an adjustable machinist parallel. Widen the parallel until the top of the new wooden lever is in line (ie. as far away from the string) with the old lever. This now is your distance from the new damper block's socket hole to the end to be glued to the felt.) 3.) Center drill all the damper blocks to receive the damper sockets (the same as used for grand damper posts). Set up a v-channel in a drill press vise and index it so that a hole drilled crosswise through it will hit at halfway the socket's length down the length of the dowel block. Drill the set of blocks for the damper wire hole. 4.) Insert the sockets in the blocks. Up to now, the socket do not yet have the crosswise hole through which the damper wire will pass. Now go back to the v-channel set-up and using the hole previously drilled through the block as a guide, continue these holes through the sockets. 5.) Back to the piano now for a final confirmation of the proper length for the blocks. Trim as indicated. There's a life insurance vending machine here at the departure gate. Should I take out a policy? Bill Ballard RPT NH Chapter "OK if we play video games while you work, as long as we keep the volume down?" .......late 20th century occupational hazard
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