key click

[Ed Carwithen]

Speaking of noisey keys.

  spinet piano that I worked with recently... The owner complained of a
click as the key returned.  The problem seemed to be isolated at the back
of the key as it returned to the back felt.  I put a very thin piece of
felt under a couple of the worst of the keys, and it definitely eliminated
the click.  The lower register was the worst part of the piano, but there
were isolated keys that did click in the middle.

Please no slams...I feel bad enough already that I couldn't figure out why
the noise.

I placed a line of the thin feld on top of the entire back felt already
there.  It eliminated all trace of the offending click...BUT of course
threw the regulation so far off as to be painful.  The hammers were way off
the hammer rest rail.  I shimmed that slightly, and did a quick regulation
on the rest.  I didn't want to make too big a change in the event that
someone on the list would advise me as to what better way to approach the
problem.   

The really scary thing is that I just don't think what I did was the way to
take care of it.  And another (fairly picky) client has now called to say
thata her keys are clicking as she releases.  Sounds like the same symptom.

What is going on...any ideas out there????


Ed Carwithen
John Day, OR