Are we talking grand or upright? For a grand I start by applying the hooked together Velcro pads around the perimeter, about 6 inches apart, the hook pad going against the piano. Across the front I don't use the Velcro at all, I just staple the cloth to the belly rail, so no Velcro pads there. I like to peel off the adhesive protectors as I go so it's ready for the cloth. On the straight side of the piano I apply the pads to the bottom of the beam. On the curved side I apply them to the inside of the beam. Across the back there is usually a combination, depending on how it is constructed. Hook pad With the cloth laying out flat I like to prep it by folding the bass (straight) side over about 1.5 inches and stapling it every foot or so with the desk stapler. This makes my finished edge for the pads on the bottom of the straight beam ready to go. Starting at the front bass corner, I then fold over the edge that goes along the belly rail just enough to give me a double fold where the first pad is, then I staple it together (desk stapler). This is the first corner I start with in the piano and I secure it sometimes with a big push pin, but more often with the Stanley staple gun. Then I affix the straight edge, push the cloth against the exposed adhesive of the pads, giving a little tension as I go. The next corner I like to secure is the front treble, but there is all this cloth hanging down getting in the way. So I'll use one or two push pins in the curved beam and back to hold it up, making sure I'm leaving plenty of slack. I grab hold at the front treble corner of the cloth and give it some tension diagonally, pulling against both the front bass corner and rear bass corner, then staple it up to the belly rail with the staple gun. Next I cut away the excess cloth. For the curved side I simply hold the cloth horizontal with one hand and cut with the other, following the outside of the piano plus an inch or two- enough so that your scissors don't ever touch the piano. These leaves about the right amount of cloth. Then I remove my temporary pins to let the cloth fall and finish stapling the front of the cloth to the belly rail with the staple gun. Then I start securing the cloth to the pads installed inside the curved beam. I hook my left arm up so it is on to of the cloth so that I can reach inside and hold the cut edge of the cloth up above the pad pulling tension on the cloth across the piano then pushing against the adhesive. If there is a lateral beam notched into the outside, I just use scissors and cut a relief at each edge at the lateral beam, fold the cloth edge over on top and secure it with the desk stapler. Sometimes I'll stick a Velcro pad there, usually not. After the cloth is secured to the pads all the way around, I then pull the cloth down, being careful to make sure it is the Velcro separating and not the adhesive. I then use the staple gun to staple the hook pad to the piano, and a heavy duty desk stapler to staple the loop pad to the fabric. I go around and finish driving the staples into the wood with a hammer to make sure the staples are as flush as they can be. I've never had trouble with the cloth falling down and I've installed lots of these. Dean Dean W May (812) 235-5272 PianoRebuilders.com (888) DEAN-MAY Terre Haute IN 47802 _____ From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Koval Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 1:23 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] undercover install ideas? I have a couple of Dampp-Chaser undercover installs coming up. I've only done a couple in the past; with the staple-through-velcro square method. I did read about the heat activated fabric tape... anyone out there come up with a good process to make this job easier? thanks Ron Koval chicagoland _____ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up <http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850553/direct/01/> now. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100312/77d2046b/attachment-0001.htm> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 23406 bytes Desc: not available URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20100312/77d2046b/attachment-0001.jpeg>
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