Key Lead Replacement

[Fenton Murray]

Well, I get your point, Wim. It would certainly take me no more than 2 hrs, probably less. It is much more enjoyable and satisfying to me to press out the old and install the new. Problem solved, no more splitting keys, looks great, less filling. I'm sure I could replace the leads in the same amount of time it would take me to shave and seal them. See attached photo of modified arbor press from Dana M., it's a joy to use tools like this. And no lead dust. Well, maybe a little.
Fenton
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Willem Blees 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 7:07 PM
  Subject: Re: Key Lead Replacement



  -----Original Message-----
  From: Fenton Murray <fmurray at cruzio.com>
  To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
  Sent: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 4:01 pm
  Subject: Re: Key Lead Replacement


  Why not just replace the leads.


  It takes me about 1 hour to shave off leads and shellac them.  Can you replace an entire set of leads in that amount of time?

  Wim










    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Willem Blees 
    To: pianotech at ptg.org 
    Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 3:26 PM
    Subject: Re: Key Lead Replacement


    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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail!
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20071129/f5d48f45/attachment-0001.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: KeyLeadPress600.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 51329 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20071129/f5d48f45/attachment-0001.jpg