Key Lead Replacement

[Willem Blees]

Terry



This question was asked several months ago. Here on Hawaii, we have a lot of growing key lead problems. Around here we shave them off with a chisel flush with the side of the key, and then give each lead a shot of Shellac to seal them in. That seems to do the trick. But so far, I've not encountered any Yamaha's with this problem. So this might be something new. 


Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
Piano Tuner/Technician
Honolulu, HI
Author of 
The Business of Piano Tuning
available from Potter Press
www.pianotuning.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 1:08 pm
Subject: Key Lead Replacement



Looked at a 30 yo (guess) Yamaha G2 grand today with keys sticking. It has growing key leads. Never seen that on?a Yamaha before. Grinding marks on many of the keys indicate that the leads were ground down previously. I'm recommending that they replace all key leads.

?

I've leaded keys as part of setting up an action. But I've never just blindly replaced the leads, trying to duplicate the original setup. I know that the owners definitely want to go minimal cost with this one (Elk's Lodge).

?

Seems to me leads are often of slightly different sizes, lengths, etc. If you are not carefully measuring Front Weights, etc., what the heck do you do? Seems to me the fastest way would be to pop the old?lead out, weigh it, grab a lead of the same diameter, trim it to the original weight and install. Or is that just too trashy an approach? Do I tell them that we need to do a traditional weigh-off (but we can't because action center friction hasn't been addressed, etc.)? Evaluate the original FW curve and duplicate it (but that will mean some plugging, etc., i.e. more cost)? What is an acceptable, minimal approach?

?

Thanks.

?

Terry Farrell
Farrell Piano

?

www.farrellpiano.com
terry at farrellpiano.com


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