damper mini-woes

[Conrad Hoffsommer]

Dave,

At 10:30 4/28/2005, you wrote:
>Just when I think I know what I'm doing, something small humbles me.  In 
>this case, it was the damper on the tenor of the bass-tenor break.  The 
>funny shaped one.  It's a new Kawai grand, and the customer complained of 
>a b3 that wouldn't stop sounding after being struck lightly.  Sure enough, 
>the tricord finger closest to the plate wouldn't seat in because the other 
>finger wouldn't go down far anough between the strings.
>
>I looked for tight flange and guide rail hole, but those things were fine.
>
>I tried string spacing, but since there are agraffes, the effect was minimal.
>
>I did some wire bending, and that helped a little.
>
>I did some very minor trimming of the damper to shape it so both fingers 
>could rest equally on/between the strings.
>
>My thoughts are:
>
>I could have trimmed more of the felt.
>
>I could learn to bend wires more effectively.


If you bent the wires so the dampers traveled freely straight up/down with 
no twist or shift on seating, then that's all you could gain there. Some 
dampers like to seat with the front contacting ever so slightly before the 
rear.

You are dealing with slight string spacing irregularities and/or felt 
cutting inconsistency.  As you realised, agraffes severely limit the amount 
you can alter the string spacing (one of their main functions) so all you 
have to play with is the thickness of the felt wedges.

I will remove the damper and compress the wedge between the pair of strings 
which _are_ being damped slightly using my hemostat (or needlenose pliers. 
etc.).  This will allow the wedge on the other side to settle down further 
and dampen the open string.  A little at a time, or you might shift which 
string is open. DAMHIK  You may want to (might have to) trim the bottom of 
the wedge after you're done.


>In the end, it worked fine.  Better, in fact, than the damper on the A# 
>bicord on the other side of the break...:-)  But it looks tilted, and not 
>spaced quite like the other dampers.

If you had corrected that tilt (I'm assuming left/right), which also would 
have the effect of changing the spacing, initially, it might have solved 
the problem right off the bat. [sure... Now, he tells me... ;-{ ]

BTW, don't feel too bad. That first tenor is the hardest damper to get 
working right on a LOT of pianos. Particularly S&S - B & D.



Conrad Hoffsommer
Decorah, IA

The Unspeakable Law:
As soon as you mention something, if it's good, it goes away.
If it's bad, it happens.
-Murphy's Law(R) Calendar