Tight Damper Flanges

[Mike and Jane Spalding]

Hi Tommy,

Two choices:

1.  The inserts are rotated so that they bind on the wires.  If they are loose enough to rotate like this, you can probablly re-align them, but they probably won't stay where you want them.  Live with it (very difficult to make fine adjustments to damper lift) or replace the underlever.

2.  The wood is swollen or contaminated.  Reaming with a drill bit slightly larger than the damper wire will cure this.  Hold the drill bit in a pin vise short enough to fit under the strings, turn it by hand, support the underlever with the other hand so you don't damage the pinning.  As it happens, I will be doing this to a 1895 Weber before I reinstall the dampers.  I found that a quick shot of LPS-1 made it a little easier to remove the dampers.

Hope this helps,

Mike


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Bigeartb@AOL.COM>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2002 5:00 PM
Subject: Tight Damper Flanges


> List:
> Removed dampers on 1910 grand piano.....wires very, very tight in flange 
> required gentle twisting to remove....Have filed burrs on damper wires and 
> polished wire with 0000 steel wool....damper wire must be forced into 
> flange....will be very hard to install the new 
> damper.....Help-suggestions-tricks...silicone hole in flange?....wd-40 the 
> hole?...proteck the hole?....acetone the hole?....drill out the hole????...a 
> great, great  number of these damper wires are too tight. Yes, the screws 
> that hold the wires in place are backed out, almost completely.
> 
> Tommy Black
> Decatur, Ala.
>