Steinway action noise

[Greg Newell]

Jon,

	Thanks for yours and everyone else's efforts here. Comments below.

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Jon Page
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 8:19 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Steinway action noise

Looking at my parts, there is a Hamburg flange with the drop screw
about 2 mm proximally located.  In your photo, the red leaching of the
dye into the shank around the bushing says Renner.
My NY S&S shanks have a bushing with a white center not all red.
Some Renner flanges (if I'm not mistaken) have the center about 1 mm
more distal.

OK, Renner then. It still seems that 1-2 mm is not going to be enough to get
this rep lever at a normal contact point with the drop screw. In fact I just
now verified that by adding 3 thicknesses of our normal traveling paper i.e.
that pregummed craft paper stuff. I might make a regulation more possible
but it did nothing to move the drop screw more to the correct contact area.

The Magic Line is measured with the key set at half-blow not half dip.
Half blow is about 1/3 dip and is also the time that the damper engages.
The easiest way to measure it is to insert a screw driver blade under
  the rear of the key until the hammer reaches half-blow.

The sample I just did shows the magic line to be roughly ok on the one key I
tried. I'll have to check more.


The key end lifter felt height should be about 1 3/8" at rest.  If someone
replaced the back rail felt and didn't install underfelt then they would 
have to
increase the felt height to time the dampers without drastically lowering
the underlevers on the wires (or off them).

The back rail felt is original and in fairly good shape. It is a thick green
felt cloth and when peeled back reveals a thinner red felt centered under
the green. The bottom felt measures 1 13/32 at rest and the top (double)
felt measures 1 5/8". No access to the dampers right now. I'll have to go
back there.


Check the underlever flange center height while you're at it. The key lifts
the
underlever to ~1 3/4". Lift one to that height and see if it is parallel to 
the keybed.
I say it should lift to parallel, anything short of that and there is too 
much sliding
friction on the felt and usually causes digging of a trench because the 
underlevers
and at too steep of a downward angle. Lifting beyond parallel is not
efficient
motion either. There is less scrubbing friction when lifted to parallel.

I have only the action in the shop right now. I'll have to make arrangements
to get back to the school and check this out.


Regards,

Jon Page



Sorry to all. I'm kinda taking straifing runs at this. I'll try for better
this weekend after the Sabbath.


Best,
Greg