Damper Lever Rebuild (tad long)

[Richard Brekne]

Why not buy new ones... but if you must. I use a filed down pair of needle nosed
pliers.. pretty thinned nose. I can almost always pull the flange cord out with
the spring still on, then just seperate the two. Once in a while I have to
resort to slicing the cord first.... but not very often. Installing new cord I
am sure you know the trick about pulling back the outside layer of the cord and
cutting away the core about an inch back, then using some super glue or
something to fashion a short hard point to run through the flange. I swab the
inside of the flange hole with watered down white glue myself. You dont really
need much to hold it. I am not sure you need any really.



Farrell wrote:

> I have several questions regarding rebuilding upright damper levers. I need
> to replace all damper lever springs and felt. Anyone willing to help?
>
> 1) Damper spring flange cord. What is the best way to remove it? I tried
> pushing it through - just jammed up in the spring area and......(flange is
> now in vice with tite-bond). Is there a handy way to pull it through? Or
> should it be cut with a razor at the spring and then pushed? I did take the
> steel center pin out first (I assume that is the way to start at least).
>
> 2) The cord in the one flange I have removed appears to not have been glued
> in place - is this OK to reproduce when installing the new cord?
>
> 3) Should the new cord simply be pulled through and cut to length? If it is
> not glued in, is it not going to crunch up inside when I try to install
> center pin? Is there some procedural trick to getting new cord and pin in?
> Or should I glue it in regardless of whether it was originally glued in or
> not?
>
> 4) There is a creased little round piece of felt/cloth at the lever top
> where the top of the spring rubs against the lever. Some levers do not have
> cloth, instead they have a direct wire-to-graphited wood contact. Do I need
> the felt/cloth? Can I just remove it and put some dag on the groove in
> lever? If it is best to replace felt/cloth, what should it be replaced with?
> I do not find any such identified thing in the catalogs.

Generally if there was cloth to begin with, then you need it there. Easy enough
to fashion out of regular bushing cloth. You should have a circle or oval felt
punch tho... available from most piano tech supply houses. ( I make all my own
balance rail and front rail bushings with a similiar tool) Levers that dont have
the felt from before you can opt to put it in I suppose, but the other way
around will require that you make sure the groove is smooth enough.

>
> 5) What kind of felt/cloth is used at the bottom of the lever where the
> damper lift rod and damper spoons push against the damper lever?

You should use good felt. Grin. Ususally 2-3 mm medium firm.. like the stuff
lots of  back rail cloth is made of... only much thinner. (not the reall dense
stuff...)

> 6) What kind of bushing felt/cloth should be used in the damper lift rod
> bushing holder thingees? Is there any source for older style bushing holder
> thingees? I know they have the newer ones in the catalogs, but I will have
> to chisel/rout a new spot for these if I need to convert. My original ones
> have a round base and appear to be made of copper or brass.

I use a really firm cashmir. At least 1 mm thick. And I rub a good deal of
teflon powder into it.

>
> I know cloth is woven. How does felt differ? How to tell the difference when
> examining old cloth/felt?

Dont really know the answer to this... like its never been a need to know thing
for me... but I would be interested to know. I do know you can rip good cashmir
on a straight line... which is very handy.

> An aside - but related topic:

One thing at a time... One thing at a time.... :)

>
> I am engaged in doing a partial rebuild of an upright action. The lady is
> pretty sure that she will go ahead with rebuilding the entire piano in the
> next few years -

--
Richard Brekne
RPT, N.P.T.F.
Bergen, Norway
mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no