Viennese Grand Action Regulation

[Piannaman@aol.com]

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
Hello Stephane,

Yes, you have described what I thought was called a "Viennese action."  
Thanks for all of your helpful insights into this.  Yes, it is quite like a modern 
action, other than the rocker capstans and the jack arrangement.  Too bad 
there isn't a jack adjustment other than replacing the felt.  That's how it 
appeared to me, but I thought I'd missed something!

Don't know how much the lady wants to spend on getting this piano up to 
speed, but I look forward to working on it at some point in time.

Thanks again,

Dave Stah

ln a message dated 6/4/03 11:12:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
collin.s@skynet.be writes:


> Hello Dave.
>  
> A Bechstein with viennese action ?  Never seen that.  Isn't viennese action 
> that with the hammers placed on the key, and turned toward the player ?
> From what you say (and from the age of the instrument), I believe that it 
> has a Isermann action, where you aling the jack to the knuckles by replacing 
> the little piece of soft felt on which the jack rests (often compressed) by a 
> new one of the correct thickness.  This is very important, as incorrect 
> alignment of the jack causes much heavyness due to extra friction of the jack on 
> the knuckle, and extra work of the jack lifting the hammer shank over a longer 
> distance.
> If I guess right, the by you called capstan arrangement is a rocker with two 
> screws, and with a little leg linked to the whippen.  I believe that this 
> arrangement, well regulated, provides more control and quicker repetition 
> capabilities, as the key never looses contact with the whippen.  It is just much 
> more work to take off the stack from the keyframe.  Apart from this feature, 
> it should be the same as a modern standard action.
> A common cause of noise in this action, apart from all the worn felt 
> bushings and punchings, is precisely that rocker, whose two screws must be tight 
> against it.  Else, you get that wooden noise from the rocker's minute wobbling.  
> You would need a special (horizontal) screwdriver allowing you to access 
> those screws.  There is a "tour de main", when regulating the blow distance with 
> this rocker, to always keep good contact and pressure between both screws 
> and the rocker.
> If the action has a rail attached to the back of the hammer rest rail (but I 
> don't think so), that is a rail intended to stop the upward movement of the 
> back of the key (causing the key to lift from the balance rail on forte 
> blows, thus wobbling), and if that felt is compressed also, you can get much 
> knocking noise from there.  Replace the felt by mid soft one, and regulate so the 
> keys fully depressed are just touching this rail.
>  
> Hope this helps.
> 



---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/57/75/56/ba/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--