"Hacked-up" trap-work

[Farrell]

With regard only to pedal travel. On a couple occasions in a church where
they beat the &#*% out of the sustain pedal, I have put a travel limiter
directly at the pedal, either on the back end of the lyre at the pedal rear
top, or in one case - and only because this guy was actually JUMPING on the
pedal I epoxied a block of oak to the bottom of the pedal so that he would
have to break the floor before he could break the sustain mechanism again
(so far - so good). The block is real tacky, but when you need to stop
hundreds of pounds of force, it completely takes all excessive force off all
components of the sustain mechanism (truely only for extreme cases).

Terry Farrell
Piano Tuning & Service
Tampa, Florida
mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Scott" <rscott@wwnet.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 1:06 PM
Subject: "Hacked-up" trap-work


>
> The trap-work on this old Henry F. Miller grand looks like it has been
> replaced by some junkbox parts from other pianos and I don't think it
> is working very well.  The piano is not worth restoring to factory
> original condition, but I would like to at least stop the squeaks in
> the pedal and improve the function if not the looks of the damper pedal.
>
> In last month's Journal there was an article about drilling out a
> guide hole in the keybed for a damper lift dowel and securing that
> dowel by countersinking the two wooden members at each end of the
> dowel.  In my case the top of the dowel supports not wood but a metal
> damper lift rail - a metal rod about 3/8" in diameter which in turn
> lifts all the dampers.  I think some of the squeaking is coming from
> the leather-lined dowel guide hole, so I would like to try the upgrade
> described in the Journal, but I don't know how to secure the top of the
> dowel to the metal damper lift rail if I drill out the guide hole.
> Any ideas?  I can file the top end of the dowel so that it cradles the
> damper lift rail, and that will keep the dowel from falling front to
> back, but it can still fall side to side.
>
> Another problem with this damper pedal arrangement is that there is no
> stop for the pedal other than the combined stops of all the individual
> dampers.  Is that usual?  On most pianos it seems that the pedal travel
> is limited by an adjustable stop to protect overtraveling the dampers.
> Should I make a limiter by adding a capstan screw and a felt pad to the
> lever just under the keybed?  Or should I use something more substantial
> like a thick carriage bolt?  This piano gets heavy use every Sunday at
> our church.
>
> -Robert Scott
>  Associate, Detroit-Windsor Chapter
>
>
>