Dear Phil, Besides doing all the lubing you can with every friction point in the damper wires, backaction, trapwork and pedal lyre, I would consider performing a pitman conversion. This would eliminate three major friction points, as well as potential sources of noise. The costly and time consuming method involves drilling out the pitman hole in the keybed with a 1 3/8" Forstner bit and the contact points on the trap lever and the damper tray with a 3/4" Forstner and installing a 1/2" dowel with 3/4" punchings glued on each end. Take a look at a Hamburg Steinway or an American after about 1980 to get the picture. The quick and dirty method just involves replacing the pitman with a hammershank that has been slightly shaped in a pencil sharpener. You will have to return later to take up lost motion. This method works well for arthritic ladies...unless they have their piano moved. Charles >I tuned an *M* today..circa 1920..the customer is a very good player >with developing arthritis..she was wondering if I could possibly make >the damper pedal easier for her to play..I replaced the leaf spring >for her..It was broken..but she wants a *lighter* touch on this >pedal...there's not a whole lot of adjustment there..i have it now to >where there's about 3/4 to 1 inch of play in the pedal, which to me is >a false lightness..that seem to make her happy for now..it won't for >very long.. > >Is there a way to modify this trapwork so it will play lighter for >her? > >And as a side note:..I tuned this Piano today in the Perfect 5ths >Temperment..as I was tuning it I was explaining it to her..she >admitted it was kinda Greek to her, but she LOVED how it >sounded..Octaves 6 and 7 never sounded better to her...Thank you Mr. >Coleman Sr. SIR..!! Charles Ball, RPT School of Music University of Texas at Austin ckball@mail.utexas.edu
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