click!

[Z! Reinhardt]

Let's see here ........

Some sources of clicking are:
1] bridle wire bumping against the neighboring backcheck
2] jack springs
3] damper springs
4] loose hammerhead
5] loose whippen flange
6] split or elongated birdseye
7] glue on the jack rest felt
8] glue on the hammer rest rail felt
9] problems with the let-off button
10]  ..........

As you can see, there are many things that can cause a click.  Now for some
questions:
1] Does the click occur when the key is first struck?  Is is possible to
make the click happen without the hammer hitting the string?
2] Does the click occur only when the hammer hits the string?
3] Does the click occur only after you have released the key?
4] Can you make the click happen by tripping the jack manually (with a
small screwdriver or some other probe) and letting it go while holding the
hammer just off the rest rail?
5] Can you hear the click if you tap on the let-off button?  (I had one of
those last year, and a fellow technician asked me how I ever figured that
one out...)
6] Are the action parts properly attached to the rails or is there
side-to-side play?

If you want further help, just ask.  I'm sure we all have our stories about
Name That Noise.

ZR!  RPT
Ann Arbor  MI
diskladame@provide.net



----------
> From: Gregory Torres <Tunapiana@adisfwb.com>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: click!
> Date: Tuesday, May 19, 1998 3:59 PM
> 
> Don,
> 
> I wonder if the problem is somewhere else in the action? Try moving the
> hammer return springs out of the way and then see if the noise goes away.
If
> it does then it's obviously not the spring. If it doesn't, look carefully
at
> the rounded end of the spring and make sure it is not sitting in the
groove
> of the hammer butt at an angle causing it to get hung up and clicking.
> Reshape it if necessary.
> 
> Also check the hammer butt felt square (where the jack rests against)
> Sometimes a little dried glue on this felt will cause the clicking sound.
Or
> the felt may be missing completely.
> 
> There are so many other possibilities but that's where I'd look first.
> 
> BTW, what kind of piano is it?
> 
> Regards,
> Greg Torres.
> 
> 
> Don wrote:
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a problem with a new console piano. A few of the hammer return
> > springs are clicking. 2 in particular are very bad. I tried weakening
the
> > spring on one and that made it worse. I tried pencil lead on the hammer
> > butt on the other with no improvement.
> >
> > Suggestions?
> > Regards, Don
> 
> 
>