Damper Lift Rod

[Newton Hunt]

Dear Mr. Plumb,

There are three possibilities here.  Before removing the action check to
see that the damper lift rod is not contacting a plate member or other
obstruction.

1.    Less likely but I have seen felt bushings work themselves out of
the retainer.  The easy test for this is to grab the lift rod and move
it up and down.  If it moves or rattles this is what happened.  Remove
the offending retainer and rebush it with key bushing cloth, lubricate
it with some VJ Lube and reinstall.  You may need to remove several
dampers to gain access.

2.    A rod hook (hanger) has broken off or become otherwise detached
from the rod.  Most hangers are pressed into place or are soldered.  You
will need to remove and replace the rod in this case.

3.    The hooks are misaligned.  You will need to remove the rod in this
case.

Removing the rod is fairly easy  in your case.  Remove the retainer on
the far right of the action (pianos with rod lifter on the treble
side).  This hook points to the right, all the others point to the left
and the rod can be pulled out to the right side.  Care must be exercised
when removing the rod to not put pressure on damper levers while doing
this.  Go slow and gently.

Lay the rod down on a flat and straight surface and bend the hooks so
they lie on the same plain.  If any are loose solder them back or use CA
glue to secure them in place.

Re install the rod in the reverse order of it's removal being especially
careful of the damper levers.

Great care must be exercised to not damage the damper felts during this
process, an all to easy event.

While you have the rod out clean it and lubricate it with Glide-All
Teflon spray.

Check the condition of the bass damper lift rod as well.

THere may be a piece of felt, buckskin or leather between the two rods
to silence their contact with each other.  Check that this is present
and if not replace it with a piece that is a hair thicker than the
difference between the rod cuts and the diameter of the rod.

I have done this work with the action on the floor but it is not
comfortable to do so, especially at my age.  A work bench would be a
better place to work and a set of upright bracket holders would also
come in handy.

Before jumping into this job be observant and carefully diagnose the
exact problem before starting the work.

Before replacing the action adjust the pedal prop to allow more lost
motion to prevent redamaging the damper section.  Check that the dampers
all lift at the same time.

It is possible, on some actions to bend the hammers back to normal
without removing them from the action by holding one end and lifting the
other and forcing a bend in the hooks.  Think about this before
performing such abuse.

There may well be other possibilities I have not thought of but there
should be enough information here so you can perform a proper diagnoses
and perform proper repairs.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

        Newton
        nhunt@jagat.com