lazy RPT

[Clyde Hollinger]

Alan,

I'm confused.  Where are you gluing these felt squares?  Adding them between the
hammer rest rail and the brackets is going to increase lost motion.  That's not
what you want to do when there's too much already.

But I have done something similar if I find a piano where there's too *little*
lost motion, although I use a thin piece of bushing cloth.  In most cases a felt
square would be too much.

Regards,
Clyde

"Alan R. Barnard" wrote:

> I've learned (the hard way) that when there is uniform lost motion like that
> I always look at blow distance first. A couple of felt squares and a little
> Titebond are sure faster and easier than adjusting 88 capstans or lifter
> nuts if the blow is too big anyway.

>

> > My wife's aunt called me and asked me to tune her piano, an Acrosonic.
> Last
> > time I was at her house I had noticed that there was considerable lost
> motion
> > in the action, so I told her she should tell her tuner about it and have
> him
> > take care of it. Since she is a professional musician, I was sure she
> would
> > feel the difference and appreciate it.
> >
> > Well, this was about a year ago, so I was curious to see if she had had it
> > taken care of, or whether I was going to have to do it.  So I opened it up
> > and checked it right away.
> >
> > It was gone.  No lost motion.  I played a C major scale starting on middle
> C
> > and it was tight as it could be.  But then I got to G5 and there it was;
> lost
> > motion on all the keys from G5 up.  So I checked downward and found the
> lost
> > motion started again at the tenor/bass break and went all the way down to
> the
> > bottom.  And not just a little bit of lost motion, either.  Most keys took
> 2
> > turns of the capstan wrench.
> >
> > So I asked her, "Did you ask your tuner to take care of the lost motion?"
> > And she replied, "Yes.  He took care of it last time he was here, but he
> > didn't seem too happy about it."
> >
> > It seemed obvious to me that he only did the middle register.  He was her
> > tuner for over 15 years.  It amazes me that this guy cared so little for
> his
> > faithful client.  He must have been on a tight schedule that day, but
> > still...is that an excuse?
> >
> > His card was in the piano with the RPT logo.
> >
> > The bad news is: this is just another piano I'll have to tune for free for
> > the rest of my life.
> >
> > Tom Sivak