Side lifting tops on vertical pianos

[Alan Barnard]

Re: Baldwins

I don't know about opening them up, but their upright fallboard designs were hideous--always in the way, a pain to remove and replace. There are black holes in deep space that have less suction! Collectively, I wonder how many jillions of hours techs have wasted over the years, fooling with the durn things.

Alan Barnard
Salem, MO




Original message
From: "Fenton Murray" 
To: "Pianotech List" 
Received: 3/11/2008 8:24:08 AM
Subject: Re: Side lifting tops on vertical pianos


Don't take it personal, Elwood. I threw a fit once when I was young trying to get an Acrosonic fall back on, that's all. I'm OK now, just needed to get that out.
Fenton
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Elwood Doss 
To: Pianotech List 
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 5:47 AM
Subject: RE: Side lifting tops on vertical pianos


Oh, c’mon, leave Baldwin alone.  I’ve yet to see a Baldwin upright that was difficult to open up.  The old Hamiltons were a piece of cake and I really like that design.  Wish they hadn’t changed it.  I’ve seen some others that were a bear to get into...especially the ones with the screws and “L” brackets where the screws are difficult to see unless the lighting is extremely bright.  And the side lifting tops are a pain for sure.  In regard to opening up uprights, Baldwin’s been pretty kind to us.
Joy!
Elwood

Elwood Doss, Jr., M.M.E., RPT 
Piano Technician/Technical Director 
Department of Music 
145 Fine Arts Building 
The University of Tennessee at Martin 
Martin, TN  38238 
731/881-1852 
FAX: 731/881-7415 
HOME: 731/587-5700



From: Fenton Murray [mailto:fmurray at cruzio.com] 
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 11:40 PM
To: Pianotech List
Subject: Re: Side lifting tops on vertical pianos

Well, we all know Baldwin likes to make us work, I think someone told them we get paid by the hour so please do what ever you can to make your pianos hard to take apart, as in Acrosonic falls and on and on. Although the Hamilton front kind of works, if you don't destroy the action closing it. But then, that's even more work. Maybe they are trying to help us.
Fenton
----- Original Message ----- 
From: richard.ucci at att.net 
To: Pianotech List 
Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 6:05 PM
Subject: Re: Side lifting tops on vertical pianos

I have the most problems with the Baldwin consoles that have the two hinges but the pins are part of the hinge and you have to line up both just right or it won't go back together. I usually have to have the client hold the right end while I position the pins and push in. Very tough for one man to do.
RU/UP
-------------- Original message from "John Formsma" <formsma at gmail.com>: -------------- 
On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 7:26 PM, Willem Blees <wimblees at aol.com> wrote:

Pulling the pin out is the easy part. Putting it back in is what creates the problem. The hinges have to be lined up perfectly. If they are not, it is easy to bend the long hinge pin as you try to push it back in. Bruce's idea is fantastic. I hope it makes it into the Journal's Tips sections.  


It's not usually hard for me.  Pushing it back in is done with one end in a small Vise Grip pliers.  Yes, the hinges must be lined up.  But, when you're "jiggling" them slightly while pushing in the pin, it works.

-- 
JF
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