Need Advice on Baldwin Hamilton Studio Upright

[David Ilvedson]

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Robert,

What books are you reading for piano tuning and repair?   Piano=
 work uses a lot of logic and common sense thinking.  For=
 instance in the situation you are asking about.  You had a=
 sluggish hammer or when retrieving the mute you noticed the=
 spring was out of its slot.  You pushed the hammers forward and=
 got the mute out how?   Fingers work but as my teacher Robert=
 Erlandson said, "Use a tool not your fingers"   The spring is a=
 thin metal wire.  Fingers don't work because why?   Too big.  =
 Something thin like a screw driver blade might work...but the=
 spring won't stay with the blade.  You need a groove in the=
 blade to catch and hold the spring.   How about a thin brass rod=
 from a hardware store and cut a groove in the end with a file. =
 Someone mentioned the Hart tool...that's what I use, many tools=
 you can make yourself.   

Really think about the problem and come up with a solution...

David Ilvedson





Original message
From: Robert Finley 
To: 
Received: Sat, 18 Jun 2005 21:19:47 -0400
Subject: Need Advice on Baldwin Hamilton Studio Upright


I have to tune some pianos in the practice studios of a college=
 for a piano competition next week, and I encountered a problem=
 with a Baldwin Hamilton studio console upright today. During the=
 tuning I accidentally dropped a wedge mute into the action, and=
 it rested on the hammer butts. When I tried to retrieve it I=
 accidentally dislodged the hammer but spring which is a straight=
 whisker-like spring that comes down vertically from a rail and=
 presses on a felt pad on the hammer butt. It ended up sticking=
 out at an angle. I tried to put it back on the felt pad of the=
 hammer butt with my fingers, and then displaced an adjacent=
 spring. There was no room to maneuver.
 
Please could someone advise me what the best and easiest way=
 would be to put the hammer butt springs back in place? I assume=
 there is no tool I could use to grasp the springs and put them=
 back in place? Will I have to take the action out of the piano=
 to gain access to the springs?
 
I am a learning about piano tuning and repair. This is the first=
 problem I have encountered, so it should be good practice and=
 experience for me.  I am concerned though that this is=
 unfamiliar territory. I have to fix the piano and complete the=
 tuning tomorrow so that it will be ready for the contestants. I=
 have taken a grand piano action out before without any problems,=
 but not a vertical one, so I am concerned whether something else=
 more serious might become dislodged. 
 
I found this Baldwion Hamilton piano difficult to work with=
 because there was very little space to put a rubber wedge mute=
 or felt temperament strip mute. That is why the rubber mute=
 dropped into the action. 
 
Any advice anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thank=
 you very much. 
 
Robert Finley


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