Great Dremel Tool tip, Ed; thanks. I'd like to add one of my procedures for cleaning the slot of old caked-on grease: With the springs 'up-and-out-of-the-way', I use a handle from a mute. The point has been blunted and the wire bent into a "J". This reaches between the wips and plows out the crud. A dab of lube on the spring and carefully reinstall the spring. Another lubrication process is to burnish the balancier. I use the curved end of an ivory clamping plate to burnish the rep levers after applying a bit of Dag. Burnishing is done while supporting the lever with a spring tool. I'll see your Dremel buffer and raise you a burnisher... :-) Jon Page At 01:49 PM 10/22/2002 -0400, you wrote: >Jim writes: > > >When regulating an action one of the first things I do is clean out the > > spring grooves and clean off the springs themselves ( a little alcohol > >rag makes this a quick job). > >Greetings, > I used to do something like this, but found what I think is a much faster >way. With the whippens still on the rail, go through and lift all the >springs out of their slot and pull them up past the balancier. Drop a 1/4" >dowel under them and then with the Dremel tool and its little felt buffing >wheel, go down the line and just touch the tips. A groove will form very >quickly in the felt wheel and it will clean and polish all the tips like new. > > The dowel keeps the springs from dropping back out of the way, and it > also >keeps the wheel from hitting the balanciers. The rotation of the wheel is >important, one way will grab the springs, the other just pushes them back >against the dowel. > I also haven't seen problems with using a small dab of graphite paste on >the tops of the springs, which is easy to apply while they are all resting on >the dowel. After they are treated, it is a simple move of the spring tool to >put them back in the slot without touching anything. At the school, I have >actions that were refurbished this way in 1984 and they are still in fine >shape. >Regards, >Ed Foote RPT >_______________________________________________ >pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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