damper felts too wide

[Tvak@aol.com]

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List

Kimball grand, circa 1930 or so.   Bottom 5 or 6 dampers won't dampen.   They 
seem to descend slowly...except when lifted by the damper pedal.   Then, they 
all plop right down and dampen just fine.   Upon further examination, I find 
that if I hold the adjacent dampers away, I can get any of them to dampen just 
fine when lifted by the key.   Looks as if the damper felts are in contact 
with one another, and when lifted singly, the friction from the adjacent damper 
felt is enough to slow its descent and make it not dampen properly.   These 
are monochord dampers, and through the ages, I think they've spread a little.   
(It's happening to me...why not a damper felt?)

Assuming that this is the proper diagnosis of the problem, what would you 
recommend using to narrow the offending damper felts?   Some possibilities in my 
feeble mind include:
     1.   Using sandpaper to file them.
     2.   I don't think I could razor blade them neatly enough...
     3.   Ironing them...?
     4.   Squeezing them with a pliers.
     5.   Alcohol and a heat gun.
     6.   Just a gun.   (Aimed at my right temple. That'll stop those bass 
strings from ringing!)

I'm pretty sure that I've correctly analyzed the problem, but can anyone 
think of another reason these dampers will dampen as a group, but not 
individually?   The damper rod is not holding them too high.   They are not misaligned.   
There is not much follow through, but they dampen fine as a group.   There is 
sufficient lift of the dampers from either the pedal or the key.   

Thanks in advance for any ideas, suggestions...or guns.

Tom Sivak

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