First Ecsaine Install

[ed440 at mindspring.com]

Jon-

Yes, the dampers must come off.

This method was recommended by Baldwin and described by Bill Spurlock in the Dec. 1991 PTJournal.  He states "...my ususal method for recovering hammer butts involves removing all of the butt assemblies from the action....After trying it I found the (on the rail) method to be even easier and more efficient..."

I have also used this method several times and liked it.  But never mind my experience.  Consult Bill Spurlock's article if you are interested.  Since it sounds like you may have another piano that needs this procedure, you could compare the two approaches and give us your authoritative verdict.

"Replacing Upright Hammer Butt and Catcher Coverings" by Bill Spurlock; PTJournal Dec. 1991 or General Repair Reprint Kit from PTG office.

Best regards,
Ed Sutton

-----Original Message-----
>From: Jon Page <jonpage at comcast.net>
>Sent: Feb 24, 2007 8:14 AM
>To: pianotech at ptg.org
>Subject: First Ecsaine Install
>
>>Remove the hammer rest rail and the hammer spring rail, unhook the 
>>bridal tapes and >you can do this repair with the hammers flipped 
>>over the back of the rail.  No need to >remove and re-install the 
>>hammers.  Ed Sutton
>
>Impossible.  What a colossal pain it would be to scrape off the 
>catcher, dig the
>old material out of the slot and scrape off the top edge of the butt material
>with the darned things in place.  Talk about slow goin'.  With my luck, a few
>flanges would break and many more bushings would be enlarged.
>It seems to me that you would have to also remove the dampers
>for the hammers to fall that way for access to each butt.
>
>The time it takes to remove and reinstall the hammers is a fraction of the time
>it would take to recover while attached, in the way of each other.
>Plus, with the hammers removed you can expediently file the hammers.
>
>Sorry, I'm all for easier ways to do things but that definitely is 
>not one of them.
>
>It actually took each butt being held in a vise and a saw blade to 
>clean the slot.
>The Corfam lifted off the top edge and I first went on either side of the slot
>with a blade to cut it free. A few carefully guided strokes of the 
>saw cleared the
>slot to receive the new material. Then with a hacksaw blade held at an acute
>angle, I scraped the residue from the top edge.
>
>Then I secured the catcher in the vise and had to use a chisel to get 
>the Corfam
>lifting at the bottom edge to get enough to grip and peeled it off. The hacksaw
>blade cleaned/scraped/scored the surface.
>
>I know that if a project is worth doing, it's worth doing twice.
>I pulled out all the stops to make sure this is a one-shot deal.
>-- 
>
>Regards,
>
>Jon Page