[pianotech] Ivers & Pond Upright #24422

[John Ross]

You say you replaced a few butt plates.
 I always replace them all, to cut down on future problems.
John Ross
Windsor, Nova Scotia
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Steve Blasyak 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Monday, April 05, 2010 1:59 PM
  Subject: [pianotech] Ivers & Pond Upright #24422


  Hey Now to all on the list.

  I've been behind on my list reading most of the year and this weekend I finally got caught up!!

  I've tried to post a few pictures of a project I've been working on while the rain drops keep falling on my head. They say it never rains in California, well this winter we've been getting quite a bit. Consequently I've not been golfing and surfing as much as I'd like to. This led me to starting a project I've been procrastinating on for several years. I know one will ever mistake me for Chuck Behm but you gotta start some place right? 

  I bought this Ivers & Pond made in 1900 at an auction several years ago. It has sat in my garage with a moving quilt over it every since. This may start more than one thread so I will categorize my questions.

  Keys,

  Perhaps Mike Morvan or someone with knowledge of how keys are made can answer this. If you will notice there is an inlay or insert over the key mortise. What is the purpose of this? I have not routed that many sets of key tops, so I was just curious as to why the keys were made this way. Several of these shims or inlays disintegrated while removing the old key tops. I thought I had taken a photo of my repair but I could not find it. Key tops are already on, so too late now. I found some thin bass wood at a hobby store that fit almost perfect. Just a little sanding and I was good to go.

     I have a really good key guy in Huntington Beach that normally send key sets too. I just wanted to try this one myself for the learning experience. It just so happened at the same time I was doing this two threads on the list were blending into to my project. One was key top gluing. (I used Ron Nosman's ruber band/tape method with PVC E) turned out great!!. The other was the routing jigs a couple of month's back. My home made routing jig is very primitive compared to the many photo's I saw posted. By some miracle it worked good for the most part.

  Brass Hammer Rail

  Reading my second edition Reblitz page 42-43 it describes and illustrates the brass hammer rail that I have. However Reblitz makes no mention of how you do two things. First, how do you test the resistance or friction on this flange?  If it can be done, how do you re-pin to the correct friction? Is it possible? A far as I know there is no apparent friction problem. All the hammers seem to return to the rest rail when I depress the soft pedal. The down weight does not seem to be that bad, right around 50 grams. The brass rail itself seems to be in really good shape. I've replaced a few butt plates that were stripped or cracked but that's it. The hammer flange itself almost looks like there is no bushing cloth around the pin. Is that possible? Perhaps it is just so old and weathered the bushing cloth looks like wood. One point of interest, if you look at the wood the brass rail is attached to you will see upside down 8/20/1900 in pencil. There is a name not far from that date on the treble side but I could not get a good photo of it. Perhaps this is not the day my piano was born, but I think the action may have been completed on this day (or amybe just the hammer rail?). I thought this was really cool.


  The Good the Bad??

  This piano sounds really good to me. I have no idea as to how and why. But hey I play a 43" Kimble Console, so anything would sound better than that right? Well almost anything (sorry Wurlitzer, Whittney, Everrett). When I first pithch raised it the pins were not extreamly loose and it seems to hold it tune really well so far. It's sitting out in the gargage and has not drifted much at all in the last couple of mounths. I have no idea if it has ever been re-strung but the bass still has tone almost all the way down. It does get a little tubby on the mono cords. As far as I can tell there is little or no crown in the board yet it still has sustain??? The trap work on this thing is incredble. One hundred and ten years old, no noise....quiet as can be. I'll try to post some photos later.   

  I've done the key tops and bushings, some key button repairs. My next project is to replace the sticker felt before I really try to regulate it. Then I'm going to tackle the damper felt :-)

  Steve Blasyak
  Orange County Chapter 
    

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