[pianotech] Creaky damper lift tray

[Barb Nobbe]

Thanks, list for all your advice. The piano I'm working on is about a 25 year old Bergmann/Young Chang. In fact, I have 2 of them with this exact problem. 

I have narrowed the noise down to the point of contact when the tray touches the underlevers. With the pedal trapwork, pitman, etc out of the way and the underlevers suspended by the sostenuto, I raised and lowered the tray by hand, finding that it did not creak until I raised it up to just touch the bottoms of the underlevers. 

Yes, I was briefly dreading having to remove all the dampers and underlevers to get to those hidden screws that hold the tray in that you can't really reach or see.  But, when I coated the damper tray felt with teflon, much of the noise was reduced, but not silent. I'm thinking I may have to replace the felt entirely, as it looks worn and fuzzy anyway. 

I'm kind of curious, or at least have my suspicions, about if that black stuff that flakes off the music desk has anything to do with this. That stuff gets everywhere and there is no good way about cleaning it up and getting rid of it as long as the piano owners don't take the initiative of replacing it.   Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. :-)

Well, it looks like another beautiful day to go and knock out a few pianos, so I'm going to go find some willing culprits and see if they'll even pay me! Hope ya'll have a good day!  


Barbara Nobbe, RPT
Pitch Perfect
859-489-4793
barbara at pitchperfectpianos.com

-----Original Message-----
From: "Gerald Groot" <tunerboy3 at comcast.net>
Date: Wed, 19 May 2010 07:56:51 
To: 'Chuck C'<chchristus at earthlink.net>; <pianotech at ptg.org>
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Creaky damper lift tray

Many of my creaks turn out to be the little rubber gromments in the pedal dowel of the pedal springs themselves.  Lifting the the dampers off from the tray and therefore, the weights of same, might just be enough to eliminate the creaking but, have you then tried pushing down on the tray again with your hand? I have.  Often times, the added weight brings the creaking back again.  Protek works great for that usually if that be the case.  Or, putting additional cloth inside of the coiled damper spring and moving positions on it.



-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Chuck C
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 10:50 PM
To: barbara at pitchperfectpianos.com; pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Creaky damper lift tray

I had one the other day which needed only a small dab of vj between the cloth punching on top of the pitman rod and the alum. tray.
Creak gone.
Chuck Christus

-----Original Message-----
>From: Barb Nobbe <barbara at pitchperfectpianos.com>
>Sent: May 18, 2010 5:59 PM
>To: PTG <pianotech at ptg.org>
>Subject: [pianotech] Creaky damper lift tray
>
>Hello list, 
>
>This is something I've run across a few times and just haven't found an easy, dependable solution. 
>
>I have found on certain Asian grand pianos with the aluminium damper lift tray, the tray will creak at just the slightest lift. Of course, it's really amplified when the pedal is used to its full extent.  I've tried a variety of lubes and sprays to get way back there, but nothing I found really works. 
>
>Has anyone else come across this, and if so, what was your cure for this noisy nuisance?   
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Barbara Nobbe, RPT
>Pitch Perfect
>859-489-4793
>barbara at pitchperfectpianos.com